as life imitates art
by elqsian
Summary: Imaginative & headstrong this girl is a true force to behold. Morikawa Rina is a high school student that never expected her life to be its own teen coming of age story. Rina starts to find herself running into a few wealthy individuals that she just can't seem to shake. With each passing day, it's safe to say that her life truly is the imitation of art.
1. Imitation I

**Imitation I - arrogance is a dish best left unserved**

**Leo's Weekly Horoscope**

_Try as you might at keeping things simple, Leo, there will be a few cosmic obstacles coming your way. Do your best to stay clear of crowds and in the meantime, perhaps take a day or two off to focus on yourself. If putting a pause on your career isn't an option, just remember that being the bigger person sometimes can take you a long way! Hang in there, and keep your head up, Leo. Tomorrow will surely be a better day._

* * *

**Bunkyo, Japan - March 24, 2018**

A bit uncomfortable, a little unnerved, with a side of apprehensive was how the girl was currently feeling. All thanks to her horoscope she had been a bit anxious since she clocked in that afternoon. Matter-of-fact, the tense feeling in her core was something that she had been feeling all day; ever since she stepped out of her own house. All morning, the planets were acutely aligned, and she just knew that as soon as the sunset, that alignment was going to askew, leading whatever sort of luck she was having down the rabbit hole. No sort of inner monologue chat could convince her that her light morning reading could be wrong. Her horoscope, interestingly enough, was _never_ wrong and she wasn't sure if that was cool or a curse.

Clicking her tongue, she folded the empty tray under her arm and weaved through the posh, mingling teens. All of which spared her not one glance as she no longer had anything to offer them. They were all preoccupied with their own conversations, thankfully, and, before anyone could start complaining about the lack of drinks circulating in their vicinity, Rina's long strides took her quickly to the kitchen, were another tray was shoved into her hands. Trading the empty tray with the now full one, the girl muttered a quick thank you and returned to the floor.

Ambushed,(maybe a bit of dramatic thinking on her part), she was approached by the mass reaching for their sparkling champagne. More accurately, lightly carbonated grape juice since no one at the function was of legal age to drink. Strong colognes and perfumes tickled her nose, and holding her breath she fought the urge to sneeze. The smell was like the aisle in the grocery store that was designated to detergents and candles; but way more expensive. Not the most pleasant of smells, and she was positive that someone got into their grandmother's scent collection. On the label, it was probably called Eden Paradise, but what it should have said was heavily flowered mothballs with a splash of rubbing alcohol. Right in her mouth was what she liked to call it. If you thought about it, you could probably imagine the taste, too.

_Damn._ The tray was empty once more and that just meant another long trip to the kitchen, _again_. All of this juice couldn't be good for them, and she half wondered what would happen if she brought out water in the flutes instead. With as much grace as she could have in her too-tight blouse and black slacks that squeezed at her hips too greedily, she weaved through the crowd collecting emptied glasses on her rounds. With the tray held strategically close and her eyes avoiding all contact, she was able to slip by without a hitch. A little tactic she had picked up since she started working at the restaurant that summer.

"Etsuko, you look very _striking_ tonight. I swear, I could _never_ pull off such a look." A dainty laugh behind an unblemished hand followed, and Rina cringed as she walked around the group of girls chatting with one another. That was definitely a hit at what this Etsuko girl was wearing. She looked like one of those assorted colors popsicle sticks. A too bright, but too dull purple that seemed like it came from a sample palette straight from MSPaint. The shape of the dress itself resembled that of the roaring 20s, and all-in-all, it was a poor match for her straight-lined body shape. To each his own, she supposed, but Rina would never willingly wear that dress. Although, the girl's parents probably spent way too much money on the rectangular bath towel.

Rina swerved, gripping onto the tray tightly when an unknowing, or uncaring was probably a better description, trio of males rushed past her, bumping into her shoulder along the way. She stumbled, catching her footing before glancing back at the boys that passed her. A self-righteous sneer was tossed her way, and she could only sigh before turning the other cheek. Remembering what her horoscope said, she _had_ to be the bigger person. Although, everything that she was seeing and hearing that night would make an entertaining Twitter post because rich people really act like this. First-hand experience from one Morikawa Rina. _I'm getting paid either way, so I might as well smile and move on._

"You're makeup is such a statement! You'll have to show me how you do it sometime." Is what a girl said, but what she was was, clown. The girl's makeup was caked and her foundation was entirely ill-matched. After working events like these all summer, Rina had a very easy time deciphering what these compliments disguised as insults meant. And, because of that, she decided to start an account on Twitter documenting these moments. She didn't realize how popular the account would get, but she mostly made it so that she wouldn't forget that these things truly happened in high-class society.

"I haven't seen you all summer. You've lost so much weight. What's your secret?" _Shit. _Now, that was just rude. The girl in topic was a bit bigger than the friends she surrounded herself with and as the comment was made, she was mid-hors d'oeuvre. She choked on her cube of cheese, dropping the cracker that went along with it to the floor in surprise. Nope, Rina couldn't stay any longer to see how this would play out, because if she didn't leave, she would be compelled to say something. The mighty Leo's horoscope clearly said to banish all crowds, so out of sight, out of mind.

"Man, these upper-class folk are wild. They have more patience than a saint because half of those comments I heard tonight would have already gotten them popped in the mouth a few times if it were me." Safely back in the kitchen, she discarded her tray onto the counter, leaning against it for support as she took the weight off her aching feet. Clearly, speaking a much bigger game than what she was capable of.

"Tell me about it. I swear if I have to ear aother…" Tadashi paused, fumbling over his words before taking a deep breath to regroup again. "If I have to hear another," he spoke slowly, nodding and smiling when he didn't mess up his sentence this time, "There we go. If I have to hear another, _We should certainly get together one day to catch up_, I think I might just scream. We all know none of them actually means that."

"To be fair, I've done that before, too. Something to say in the moment when you have nothing else in common," Rina laughed, remembering all of the times she ran into old middle school friends that she didn't talk to anymore. The worst thing about those reunions was that they always remembered her name, and she usually never remembered theirs. After a few minutes of talking, it was like something compelled her to offer to meet up at a later date to _catch up_. As Tadashi said, no one meant it, and the later date never came. Social cues had you looking and sounding like an idiot sometimes. However, in their case, they were just putting on airs.

"You're a monster, Rina. A true monster," the man smiled his classic eye-smile, the corners of his eyes turning into crescents as he gave the gummiest show of teeth. The girl rolled her eyes, not moving from her spot when he collected his refilled hors d'oeuvre tray and bumped his hip with hers. Looking over her shoulder, she took her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the few notifications she had. She was taking her break, so it shouldn't matter if she used her phone, but their manager was a bit notorious for not even wanting to give breaks. So, she had to take her break with caution and make it look like she was still working hard.

Waiters and waitresses flooded in and out of the kitchen, moving around the girl as she gave most of her attention to her screen. As the next year of school quickly approached, she was receiving back-to-school ads in her email. Excited to get her final year of high school finished, she still couldn't deny that she would miss sleeping in. She wasn't ready for her extra early morning commutes again, the ones that took her an hour and sometimes mores to get to her final destination. Some of those ads did look promising, however, and she made a mental note to ask her dad to go shopping with her that weekend.

"Blah Blah, you don't have the luxury to take care of your needs. Wah wah, maybe you want your pay adjusted, Morikawaii." Against her better judgment, Rina jumped as the newcomer all but yelled in her ear. Her phone crashed to the counter, and she swore under her breath as she tried fumbling for it. High-pitched, paper towel on dry glass laughter followed, and Rina let out a deep sigh as she tried to control her startled heart rate.

"Every-damn-time. I can't trust you with my back," Rina snatched her phone from the counter and shoved it back into her pocket.

"You most certainly can trust me with your back, and your front, Kitten," Meisa winked, boldly scratching the girl under her chin. Rina visibly gagged at the nickname before knocking her hand away and hopping up on the counter. Finally turned in a comfortable position, she could see the coy expression on her longtime friend and eternal stress inducers face. She was one of the few, if not her only friend from middle school that she actually caught up with.

"I'm not at all disappointed at how you still startle so easily. But, on to more pressing matters," Meisa saddled up beside her, having the decency not to stand between her legs like she usually would try. "Word on the block is that your shift is almost up." She grinned, and Rina waited for her to elaborate her point, but after a few seconds, she knew Meisa wanted a reaction before she continued.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she nodded, raising a keen dark brow. "Yeah, in exactly one hour. What's your damage?"

"I happen to also be clocking out of this hellhole in about thirty minutes. So, as the night is still young, we could totally go get crazy and drink some strong stuff and scream in our favorite Karaoke bar." Meisa waggled her brows, while Rina thought this over.

"You mean bottles of ramune?" Meisa bit her lip, smile growing. "Mitsuya Cider?" A gasp this time, as her back straightened. "And coke?" A loud moan left Meisa's lips, and Rina slapped the girl against the shoulder, looking around to see the odd looks that some of the servers had thrown their way at the weird sound.

"You know I get excited when you talk junk to me. That's exactly what I want to put inside of my body after this shift. Say yeah, yeah?" Her light, tinkling voice coaxed sweetly. She had a voice that most wouldn't associate with her because of her hard-hitting, in your face personality. It sounded like how Rina assumed a fairy would speak, but with the rest of her package, it seemed odd that her voice was so dainty. Meisa was anything but dainty.

"Yeah, yeah?" Rina copied the inflection in her friend's tone, her own voice a lot huskier. Meisa shoved the girl, gripping onto her arm and rocking her back and forth, a series of pleas coming from her thin lips. "Okay, _okay_. I'm about to get sick and I'm not even in a car." She pried the girl's hands from her arm and nodded. "Sure, I'm up for a little Red Velvet at our favorite joint."

"True MVP, y'know. And maybe after, when our favorite bakery is closing, we can go get free, they're gonna throw them away anyway, confectionaries."

"You are too good to me," Rina placed her hand against her heart, as she mimicked someone swooning, much like what she had seen a little too often that night. Waiting at the back to school ball hosted by some club was an eye-opener. She had no idea what exactly this club did at their own school, but the girls seemed to appreciate any and everything that they did. So, yes, Rina saw a lot of source material that night.

"Of course, what do you take me for? Anyway, let me get back to work. I've been hiding out in the back for most of my shift. My AMS are tingling and I would sure hate to get caught when I'm almost off my shift." Meisa left the room rather quickly, and not soon after, their angry manager appeared. It was a thing amongst each waiter and waitress to make up acronyms that indicated where their lovable manager was. AMS just meant angry manager senses, and usually, Meisa's senses were never wrong. Before Rina had time to jump down from the counter, Manager Watanaba rounded on her quickly, red in the face and fuming for words. _It seems like he lost his words again._

"Morikawa, this isn't your house and you shouldn't treat it like such. Act like you have some class and stop climbing over everything like a monkey," he ground out, drumming his fingers against the counter as he waited for her to get down. He couldn't have chosen another animal. One maybe not historically associated with half of her ethnicity. She slid from the counter, waiting for the man to say more since he still hadn't left yet.

"Since you can sit around and avoid your work, I guess you can also pick up another shift tonight. That dang kid called out again." He seemed to forget that Rina herself was also a _dang kid_, but she didn't correct him, only stared at him unsympathetically. If she acted like she didn't hear him, it wouldn't be her problem. And yet, he was waiting for her answer. _Damn._

"I was taking my 15-minute break that's built into my work contract," was all she said, and he stared at her...like she was stupid. _I'll show you stupid and monkey. Bet. Keep playing with me, sir._

"I don't see how that's important and it has nothing to do with my last statement." Maybe he was the dumb one because he surely brought up the break she took, even if he didn't use the term break in his sentence. "I expect my best workers to put in their 110% efforts-" Not plausible, but alright, "This is a large event with many of our country's top class business heirs in one room." This was a back-to-school event with a bunch of rich teenagers, but yes, continue Manager Watanabe.

"I have other obligations after I get off in 40-minutes. So, although I would _love _to stay," she was learning so much from these rich folk and how they evade a question or comment, "I cannot."

"Who cares about your 'other obligations'? When it comes to our patrons and their needs, yours don't matter-" Rina could feel her face getting hot as her usually chill demeanor was starting to crack. The more Manager Watanabe talked, the further he shoved his small foot inside of his large ass mouth. Another reason why she was ready to go back to school, was that she could finally let this job go and look for another one for the year. It paid well, and she made a lot this summer that she put aside in her savings, but Manager Watabitch was too much to put up with.

"You know what, I'm sick and tired of your rude, arrogant comments. I'm still trying to understand who you think you are. You have the title of manager, but your qualities as one are crap. I don't know how you even got the position with your inability to manage your employee's safety, happiness, and dignity efficiently," The shaggy-haired man stood there, mouth agape as he stumbled for his words, but nothing would come out. A crowd had formed around them and Meisa, who she thought was long gone had appeared, instigating the situation from afar.

"Our needs don't matter? How about you try holding your urine for hours and not being able to use the bathroom. All of our bladders are probably grotesque because none of us want to hear your mouth complaining about how lazy we are. Lazy? That's rich coming from someone who sits in the corner all day and just shouts orders at people." Rina felt like she was glowing, and as her words continued crashing down on Manager Watanabe, he seemed smaller and smaller the more she went on. She had the upper hand and she was definitely going to let it rip.

"You need to check yourself before you call yourself a manager because right now you're just an incompetent toddler playing boss. I'm not here for your little bitch energy, so you can go shove your arrogant behavior up your-"

"-rikawa. Morikawa!" Rina blinked, brain coming back into focus as she regarded the man in front of her. She looked over his head, seeing that there was no crowd and Meisa was certainly nowhere to be found. Instead, she stood over her managers impertinent 5'7" foot a punk frame, with the man having to look up at her, which she could tell intimidated him. The expression on his face said it all; he was tired of her games and was very close to losing his words again. His pale face was already turning cherry red, but Rina remained unbothered, only slightly let down that she thought what happened in her over-active imagination was real.

In her hypothetical call out session, she was speaking nothing but facts and it was too bad he would never hear them...unless. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again, shaking her head. There was no way she would say something like that. No matter how much she didn't like him, she _still_ had to be respectful...respectful enough. Mentally patting herself on the back, she complimented her father for raising such an excellent daughter.

"Whatever, Morikawa. You're starting to get on my nerves. I can't rely on anyone in this motley team. You can dismi-" A loud crash echoed from the other side of the kitchen and Manager Watanabe cursed loudly. "If it's not one thing it's another. Who's the idiot who can't carry a damn tray correctly?" He quickly turned around, leaving Rina to her own devices and she let out a relieved sigh. She dodged many bullets with that conversation, and the biggest one was picking up another shift. The ball banquet began at five and it was almost eight. Not to mention, Rina worked the preparation shift and this shift combined. An entire seven-hour school day and he still expected her to stay longer.

"Only 30 minutes left, Ri, then junk food and karaoke are waiting for you."

* * *

This school had some interesting, well, interests, and students. Rina could only stare with muted shock at the man on the stage. She knew he couldn't be drunk, as all they'd served that night was sparkling juice, so his behavior just had to be unmistakably _him_. Despite the loud music playing, his voice had the command of nearly every female occupant in the room. Rina could even see a few of her coworkers stopping to watch the spectacle that was the blonde-haired man on the stage.

"It is such an _honor_," he spoke, "To be attending school with all of you lovely young ladies. To be able to throw such a lavish welcoming party for you...well, I can find no greater joy in my life!"

Rina felt sick, rolling her eyes at his words. Just as she swung her gaze across the room, she could see Meisa giggling at the man's words. The over-exaggerated actions, Meisa mimicked perfectly. Rina could hardly contain her giggles as she formulated what she would post on her twitter.

It seemed like she and Meisa were the only ones completely unaffected by the blonde's words, as the screams of what could only be the boy's name and shouts of affection nearly drowned out the classy music playing in the background. Rina hoisted her tray a little higher, wishing that she could take her phone out and snap a picture of the dramatics. It was too bad that she made it a habit not to upload pictures of any faces, as she thought that would be a little too risky. Instead, she had to paint the scene to memory so that she could detail in a post later.

She swiveled and swerved around partygoers and strewn about tables with ease. Waitressing was probably one of the easier jobs she'd had, taking to it almost like a fish to water. "Miss! Can I get a drink?" The almost childish voice had Rina stopping mid-stride. She looked around, spotting a man with his hand raised.

He looked nothing like how the voice sounded, and Rina traipsed over, staring at him for a moment. She then noted that the blonde from just a few minutes ago was standing with him, animatedly talking at the black-haired man, who gave no visible sign that he was listening to him. "We're _so_ thirsty!" The voice sounds off again and Rina finally realized she needed to look a little...lower. Standing around the waist of the first man, a small boy holding a stuffed rabbit grinned at her. Rina returned the smile, immediately lowering the tray, but she didn't get very far.

The taller of the trio takes two glasses off of the tray, handing one to the shorter blonde. Rina offered him a smile as well, though he didn't return it. Instead, an intense stare is what she was treated to. "Ehee..." Rina squeaked out, her eyes immediately leaving the man. While his stare wasn't judging, more blank than anything, it was still rather unnerving, almost as if he was staring inside her instead of at her.

"Are you alright, my beautiful serving stewardess?" The taller blonde slicked back his hair, eyes closed as he offers his hand to Rina, "Must you take a rest? Surely we needn't have the staff overworked!"

"N-No," Rina smiled forcedly. She could feel the black-haired man staring at her again, and she didn't like feeling as if she'd been found out, "I just had my break...uh, sir. I'm fine...I-I'm-I'll just be on my way. Enjoy the rest of your function."

Making her quick getaway, Rina was glad to be away from the prying eyes of the man. By the time she made another round, her tray was tucked under her arm, completely empty once more. It was just juice, or...did they not know that? She could see a couple acting rather...unseemly, probably thinking the juice was more than just juice.

Tadano nearly collided with Rina, but she managed to easily sidestep him. Losing his balance, Rina reached out to hold him upright. "Easy there, Tiger." Rina pressed her hand against Tadano's shoulder, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah... j-just a little tired." He chuckled, though Rina could hear the exhaustion in his voice, "I did two parties back to back yesterday... and now this one tonight...I'm just a little tired."

"Yeah, just a little." Rina reiterated, "Boy, you look like shit. Have you taken your break? You're probably due for one...or two. Maybe six."

"I wish. You know how..." He leaned in, conspiratorially, "Watafuck is." Rina snickered at the nickname. "There's no way I could get a break in with him hovering like an alcoholic at the bar."

"Just take your break," Rina urged, "Fuck that guy but don't do it for real. Go stand in the bathroom, or outside. You really need it."

"Who's gonna take my area, then? Meisa was my area partner, but it seems like she just does whatever she wants." Tadano frowned.

Rina sighed, exasperated about her friend. "Yeah, that was a bust. You really got the short end of the stick...okay, look." She gingerly pulled Tadano's tray from his hand and gave him hers, "I'm taking pity on you, alright? I'll take your area and mine for a bit. Just make sure you come back, or I'm coming after you, alright?"

"I'm forever in your debt, Rina. Thank you so much!" Tadano's eyes sparkled with tears. He quickly made his way through the crowds of people, leaving Rina by herself.

"Sometimes I'm too nice." She shook her head.

Tadano (and Meisa's) area was much busier than Rina's previous area. Even busier now that Meisa was off the clock. A simple, quick check of the message that came through to her phone let Rina know that the shorter girl would be waiting for her until she got off.

The patrons over on this side of the large ballroom were much needier and greedier than her own, demanding a refill of drinks every couple of minutes and more hors'd'vours at every second. She could now see why Tadano was so tired and why Meisa decided hiding out that night was a move.

If Rina didn't love herself, she'd be in the same predicament. "Waitress!" Rina's snapped out of her thoughts by the call of a snooty voice. She turned her head, noting the person waving her over and sauntered towards them, tray offered. "Where's that boy from half an hour ago?"

"He's taking a break." Rina responded evenly, "Did you need something?"

"Ah, we did." The girl's voice betrayed the look on her face. Rina could see the gears turning in her mind, the way her face slowly contorted into a smile. "Fetch that bowl on the table there." She pointed with her fan towards a table not too far from them. The bowl was filled with candies, from what Rina can see, and the feeling in the pit of her stomach made her feel as if she shouldn't. The planets were starting to askew, she could feel it.

She inwardly sighed, "Yes, ma'am." She complied, walking towards the table and snatching up the bowl with her free hand. Walking back over, she unceremoniously held the bowl out to the girl. "Here you go."

"Oh," The girl tittered, "If you could just be a dear and give me only the red candy out of the bowl, I'd love it _ever_ so much." Her smile was like botox, cemented into her face. Although the smile may have seemed charming to most, the girl's intent could be seen heavily swirling in her eyes.

_Yeah, and I'd love to punt you across the room ever so much. _Rina treated the girl to a mirrored smile, placing the bowl on her tray as she beings pulling out only the red candies from the bowl. Once they were out on the tray, Rina looked to the girl, almost expecting her to say something else.

"Could you unwrap them for me?" She asked. Behind her, Rina could see her friends giggling a bit behind their hands.

"That's going to be a little hard, considering I only have one hard at the moment," Rina informed her, trying her best at staying polite. It was the most cordial way Rina could decline the girl's lazy task, and an easy way to allude she wasn't going to place her tray down just to do that. The girl seemed to understand what she had unspokenly said, but that didn't deter her in away way. If anything, she changed her approach.

"Ah, you're right." The girl took the candies off of the tray, handing a few to her friends, "I have another task for you if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind you absolute walnut. Why would I want to stand here and wait on you hand and foot? No amount of money is worth anything you're about to subject me to." Rina clutched the tray, "And another thing, I-"

"Waitress?" The girl tilted her head, smile tight against her lips.

"Yes, of course." Rina cleared her throat, inner thoughts not betraying her outer appearance. Her gaze swept across the group, "How else may I assist you, ma'am?"

Lips curling into an impish grin, the girl glanced at the two other females in her party before turning her large eyes back on Rina. "Well, for starters-" Rina didn't like how that sounded at all. If there was a starter, in this girl's vocabulary, she didn't think she would be finishing anytime soon. _If I didn't love myself, I would be in the same predicament, my ass. I spoke too soon._

* * *

"...After you've finished that, would you mind terribly if you just-"

"I apologize," Rina held up her free hand, stopping the needy teen mid-sentence, "But, I can't do that." There was no need for her to voice that she wasn't truly sorry, and Rina was positive that was implied in her firm, but soft tone.

"E-excuse you?" Her demure act halted, brows furrowed in annoyance as the amusement dropped from her whole demeanor, "You _can't_ do that?"

"No," Rina shook her head, _I won't do that._ "I am aware of my position, but I feel as though you have prioritized my time enough for the night. I have been unable to attend to other guests."

"I..._I see_." The girl Rina found out was referred to as Lady Ichijyo replied, "You're very bold to speak out against us, however...you aren't incorrect. I do apologize for our behavior." Rina looked over the three girls, unsure of how to respond to their sudden change of heart.

"Thank you." She bowed, missing the looks that the three girls passed along to one another. "I'll be taking my leave now."

"Can I have one more glass before you leave, though?" Ichijyo asked and Rina silently offered the tray to her. As the elegant girl quickly snatched a drink from atop of the tray, she mumbled a thank you before dismissing Rina with a wave of her hand. With the sudden flick of her wrist, the contents in the glass lept and found a home somewhere else. "Oops! Oh, dear, I'm so clumsy." The mock expression of horror was mirrored between the three, and another stood up, reaching for a neglected glass of sparkling water left on the table.

"Here," her voice, although higher in pitch, held the same lack of compassion as her leader, "Let me help with that." As she came forward, she tripped on the chair leg and the carbonated water splashed against her face.

Now wet with room temperature water and stained with grape juice, her airy gasp turned heads, just begging others to survey the scene. Whispers began, and tongue thick, she looked around the ballroom. Rina turned back to the trio, almost expecting the third to do something as well, instead, they settled for cackling amongst each other. Her mind was hazy and she could feel her face hot with anger and embarrassment. Her previous indifference gone with the situation, and in a moment of impulse, Rina took a glass off of her tray and flung the contents of it onto the girls.

The shrill, high-pitched screams did nothing to deter Rina as she slammed her tray on the table. The loud sound silenced the screams momentarily, leaving the three of them whimpering quietly. "How _dare_ you! This is no time to play the victim and tears won't curb my rage, _ma'am_. " Rina mockingly throws her nose into the air and pretends to fan herself like the girl had been doing for the night. She had their mannerisms to a science and if she had to, she could be just as slimy as they were.

"Can't deal with the repercussions of your own actions? Well, maybe if you had a couple of brain cells to rub together amongst the three of you, you'd have figured out long ago that you picked the wrong bitch to mess with! Massages? Having me play messenger for your two little ginger crushes at the other table? Making me your guard dog? Well, I haven't been fed, so your hand has been bitten, _darling_."

Lip trembling and eyes filled with tears, the main offender of the night cowered, leaning back into her chair until only two legs were touching the floor. Before Ichijyo could fall to the floor, Rina caught the chair, slamming it back down onto the marble. She towered over the girl's small frame, moving achingly close to her with a snide grimace. "Well, _madam,_ are you ready to deal with your actions?"

Is what she wanted to do, but the utter shock of the cliched moment had her rooted to the spot. Her subconscious was satisfied with how the ending in her head played out, but consciously, she only stood there, looking around the room once more. The two gingers she had unwillingly gotten acquainted with, acquainted as in she played Hermes for the night, made no move to assist. It wasn't like she expected them to. They all fulfilled her expectations of gawking and playing into the bystander effect.

"...you should get yourself cleaned up, dear. This isn't very becoming of a server." Ichijyo tilted her head, her innocent act almost sickening at this point.

Rina blinked, looking down in contemplation for a moment before looking at the tray still in her hands. Decision made, a conscious one this time, she sighed. "Future reference, I'm not sorry," dropping her hand, the tray careened towards the ground, shattering the glass and spilling the drinks on the floor and soaking into the edges of the leader's dress. She squeaked, stumbling backward and falling onto the floor. "You should get yourself cleaned up, dear. This isn't very becoming of someone of your status."

Rina bowed a pleasant smile on her still damp face. She straightened her back once more and took a step in the other two girls' direction, making them move their chair back in fear of what else Rina was capable of. With an easy shrug of her shoulders, she turned away, ignoring Ichijyo's calls and cries. She walked past a table where a glasses-wearing gentleman sat alone, and before she could get by him, he simply handed her a handkerchief. She couldn't quite see his face since he wasn't looking at her, his head still turned towards the commotion ahead of him. There was a notebook laid out in front of him, and with his free hand, he scratched something on the inside of it.

She took the handkerchief gingerly from his hands and wiped her mostly dried face. With a brief murmur of gratitude, the girl walked away, now ignoring the calls of her manager who was obviously not too pleased for many reasons. Rina didn't care, however, because technically her shift _was_ up.

* * *

Rina had almost made it to the lounge before Manager Watshisname caught up to her and called himself ripping her a new one. _You need to go out there right this instant and beg for forgiveness._ No. It was a simple answer, and he obviously didn't like that. _Yo- Ungrat- I knew I should have never hired people like you._ It was odd how Manager Watanabe thought he was the one that hired her, when in fact, it was another manager that was transferred before him. At that moment, after that night's events, Rina let him know that, ignoring the _people like you_ comment that he spat at her. It wasn't until another server got his attention, that he left her alone and she was finally able to change out of her uniform.

The manager was so upset that he didn't even get a chance to fire her, which was fine by her because she already had her resignation letter ready to throw at his face. One more week and she would be finished with his constant mockery. Slipping her thick heels onto her feet, she buckled the band around her ankle with a sigh. "Turn that frown-" Rina held up her hand to Meisa and shook her head.

"If you even finish that lame idiom, I won't be doing anything but going home tonight." Pulling her curly hair from her bun, she shook it free before pulling a detangling brush from her bag and carefully running it through her hair.

"Aw, c'mon, Ri. Are you gonna be this unfun and _lame_ for the rest of the night? If that's the case, I'll go out there and kick this Ichijyo's girls ass myself." Meisa leaned up from the couch, having enough of the blood rushing to her head. She had her cheer up method all planned out, but she was stopped right before she could point to her frown that was literally upside down as she hung off the couch.

Rina rolled her eyes, stuffing her dirty clothes and brush back into her bag. "And have Manager Watashit com-"

"You two have got to hear this." The door slammed open and Tadashi waltzed in with the largest grin on his face. The two girls looked at him before they both pointed at the sign messily written on the door: Girl's Changing Room.

"We could have been naked."

"Don't you ever knock?" Meisa and Rina spoke at the same time, and Tadashi's smile just got wider as he shrugged his shoulder. He closed the door with his foot, and leaned against it, ignoring their comments.

"This is way more important than knocking. As soon as you left, these guys pretty much embarrassed that girl and her girl gang before asking them to leave. I mean, more glasses have broken tonight than ever and I wonder who's paycheck it's coming out of. It would be funny if it was Manager Watashit righ-"

"The story. The point. Get back to it please." Meisa crossed her legs underneath her body and Tadashi snapped his fingers, remembering that he was indeed in the middle of a story.

"The three of them left in tears and wet. The guys were all like," he shifted his position, acting out whatever it was he was trying to mimic for the two, "_You can never attend any more club functions._ The girls were so devastated. It was hilarious, man." Tadashi spoke in a rush, stuttered over a few of his words in his excitement to tell the story. Rina glanced at Meisa who only shrugged her shoulders, not knowing about anything except for what she had been told. This was just another piece of the puzzle that didn't make full sense.

"So, the three of them are gone? Because someone asked them to leave? You sure you didn't see it wrong? They didn't seem like the type to leave just because someone asked them to." The sticky patch on her collarbone was proof enough that these girls didn't care. So, it was a mystery as to who could have _made_ them leave, and for a server no less. A server that was expendable to them. Literally, everyone had either avoided eye contact or snickered at the trouble that was caused.

"The hosts of this lil' shindig, to be exact. Seems like there are some good people around us." Rina nodded, unsure of what to do with this information, but she was satisfied that the three got what they deserved. It was too bad that they pretty much got away with their self-righteous behavior for most of the night.

"Anyway," he untied his apron and draped it over his arm, "I know you two are planning somethin' fun tonight and I want in. Lemme go change and I swear, ya'll better not leave me again. I gave you guys some valuable information and…" Tadashi trailed off as he opened the door to be greeted by a man wearing a black suit.

"Oh hey, it's Men in Black International." Tadashi's comment was ignored as the taller male glanced inside the room, making himself welcome. He pushed past the chattering man, eyes locked on Rina. She shifted where she stood, uncomfortable at his arbitrary blank gaze. What was with the people here and their doll-like looks? This is the third person that night that looked at her like they weren't looking at her.

"Um, is there something we can help you with or are you just gonna stand there like a creep?" Ever the poetic one, Meisa spoke as she got up, coming beside Rina and looping her arm around the girls. The man just raised a brow and looked between the two of them.

"Are you perhaps Morikawa Rina?"

"No?"

"Then, I have no business with you." Tadashi choked on his own tongue before pronouncing to the three that Meisa just got burned. The shorter girl in topic glared at him, face hot and flung a pillow from the couch at him.

She knew it. There was no way that what Tadashi said was true. This man was probably here to get rid of Rina for her behavior towards his Lady Ichijyo and she was going to need an escape plan soon. He was pretty close to the door, and she wasn't the most athletic person, so she was sure trying to maneuver past him wasn't going to work. All she wanted was some late-night baked goodies and to scream her favorite songs pitchily into a mic. Not to be interrogated and punished for telling a rotten apple no.

"So, that means _you_ must be Rina. I'll have to ask you to come with me. Lady Ichijyo isn't pleased with how the night turned out and she has suggested you be taught your place." Rina stepped back, looking at Tadashi who took this as his cue to leave and Meisa who had let her arm go limp and moved away from her. _Oh, hell no. They're just going to leave me to fend for myself?_ Around the threshold of the door, more men dressed in finely pressed black suits stepped in, leaving no room for Rina to move out.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she was sure that this would be considered kidnapping if they tried anything. A firm tug against her arm and a soft call of her name had Rina's overzealous imagination pausing her live-action film. There was still only one man dressed in a suit, Tadashi was still at the door, foot half in and foot half out, and Meisa's grip on her arm was firmer than ever. It must have been her who tugged Rina.

"Morikawa Rina?" The man asked, irritation clear in his features. No doubt he had most likely called her name a few times during her little interlude. She nodded, frowning as the man took a step forward, reaching inside his coat pocket and holding out a rectangular piece of paper. She made no move to take it, but upon closer inspection, she could tell that it was a check.

"What's this?" She asked, and the look he gave her spoke volumes. He was aware that she knew what it was, so the question she was really asking was _what is this for._

"The hosts of tonight's function would like to offer you compensation for tonight's transgressions. They would like to apologize for a few of their guest's unsightly behavior and hopes that you will accept their expression of regret." The piece of paper was held loosely in her direction, but after hearing what it was for, what little curiosity she had to hold that paper vanished. _So, that's what it was for._ Rina had worked for enough parties like this that summer to know what a check and an apology meant. That, and she's seen far too many movies and dramas with the same kind of theme.

"Dash, go ahead and get changed and we'll wait for you outside." The three of them carried on like the man wearing black wasn't even there, and that was irksome to him. Tadashi, no longer smiling like a fool sent the man a glare, and a two-finger stare down indicating that he was watching him. He left the room, never taking his eyes off of the man until he could no longer be seen.

"Ready to go, Mimi?" Rina moved around the man as Meisa collected her own things and followed behind her. The messenger, still baring the check and now a grimace caught up to the duo, trying to part with the piece of paper. Rina moved her hand away from it and smiled politely down at the man.

"Miss, please. I know what this may look like, but our Hosts are genuinely apologetic about what happened."

"I hear what you're saying, but if they were _genuinely apologetic_, I would see them and not you handing me a piece of paper that will change nothing." The man seemed like he was going to try again, but Rina was not having any of it. Before he could speak, Rina beat him to the punch.

"An apology and a check just means keep quiet about what happened. That's not a _genuine_ apology and you can tell your hosts I said as much. Thank you, but no thank you." She bowed, and grabbed Meisa's hand, pulling her down the hall. A long sigh of relief left her lips as she stepped into the cool summer night air. Officially off the clock and able to think clearly again, Rina was ready for a fresh new day. According to her horoscope, tomorrow would be a lot better and she couldn't be more grateful.


	2. Imitation II

**Imitation II - hushpuppy money is the worst kind of money**

**Leo's Weekly Horoscope**

_Leo, Leo, Leo, you just can't catch a break! Maybe it's time to hang up the towel, especially with all of the excitement you're going to run into this week. You're always on the move, but sometimes that means garnering unwanted attention. Don't let your temper get the best of you, and prove to those other animals of the jungle that you are king/queen. _

* * *

**Denenchofu, Japan - Monday, March 26, 2018**

When Rina was younger she never imagined that she would grow up to actually enjoy working. Doing chores as a child was, well, a chore, and something she tried her hardest to get out of. Cleaning up her toys; a hassle. Making her bed; she didn't see the point in it, especially since she was just going to sleep in it again. Taking out the trash; way too smelly for her tastes. Rina would admit, she was rather spoiled growing up but for the greater good of her personality, that changed. Well, maybe not the spoiled part. Perhaps the circumstances weren't the rosiest of occasions, but she believed she grew up to be an all-around better person since her parents got divorced.

With just a father and daughter dynamic duo, Rina found herself having to step up to the plate a lot more than what she had before. Helping around the house became more enjoyable to the point where something like washing dishes wasn't such an unsavory task for her anymore. And, from there, the doors to hard work and gradual satisfaction were opened. This would explain why instead of appreciating her day off, she was standing in front of a sink, thick rubber gloves pulled up to her forearms with soap suds clinging to her apron.

The original goal was to play with some dogs, drink some tea, and eat some cake. The outcome was simple to explain. She was licked by one dog, had one sip of water, and wasn't even able to consume anything that was the equivalent of cake. Not that she was complaining, because Rina had the hardest time sitting still when there were so many tasks that had to be done; hers and others included. Honestly, she thought she would have learned by now that when she came to the _Shiba Inu_, she would be willingly spending her time working and helping out around the quaint cafe, much to the owner's odd mixture of praise and protests.

Today, on the other hand, was a different story, as Ms. Shimizu found herself short-handed and Rina, being the _angel_ she was, appeared in her time of need. It seemed like everyone was trying to enjoy their last few rounds of freedom before the new school year started. Placing the last dish in the rack to dry, the teen brushed her wet hands against her apron before finding her way back to the front when the humble bell chimed, signifying a customer had entered. In the last hour and a half that she had been there, she found herself back and forth from the kitchen to the front counter. The majority of that time was spent with Ms. Shimizu as she womaned the kitchen, but as Rina was finishing up the dishes, the middle-aged woman had tasked herself with taking out the trash.

Monday's, although usually too busy, was easily manageable with two people working in the shop. The saying must be correct about tasks being easier to complete with the company you enjoy. Or at least she thought that was a saying. _Something close to that or whatever._

With a pleasant smile pulled against her lips, she welcomed the newcomer politely, both hands against her stomach in a neat bow. "Welcome to the Shiba Inu! How may I help you?" The small dog that the elderly woman brought in yipped happily, running around in a circle before circling around another dog. The woman frowned, looking rather nervous as she peeked over Rina's shoulder into the kitchen.

Rina also turned her head very slowly, mimicking the woman's actions. She assumed she was going to see something concerning, anything that would explain why the person in front of her looked so nervous. However, there was nothing there and it hit Rina as a tad bit anticlimactic. _At least I didn't have to fight or flight._

"Uh, ma'am, is everything okay? Do you need to take a rest?" Rina, unsure of how to handle the older woman, leaned against the counter, holding her arms out for moral support as if the woman was going to collapse to the ground at any moment. She was a small, old lady, who at this point in her life was closer to the floor than she was to the ceiling. A slight bend in her back and a tremor of her hand as she held her polished, wooden cane, the elder woman swallowed thickly. Then it happened, something that Rina was so used to that she could easily repress the sigh that wanted to escape her parted lips.

"I—hm, sorry? No English speak," the elderly woman held her hands up with a firm shake of her head and a small, kind smile on her face. Rina blinked a few times, the white-haired woman mirroring back, as a brief silence was shared between the two. This happened more often than what Rina liked to admit, especially with the older generation and younger kids. Those her age wanted to practice their English on her most of the time, but the joke was always on them since her understanding of the English language wasn't exactly..._refined._ Or good. _The Japanese textbook from primary school didn't prepare me for these experiences, multicultural or not._

"No worries, that's totally fine. I can speak Japanese quite fluently, even though I do fumble sometimes," she tossed a joke, hoping this would ease the woman's tensions. Rina could clearly see that it did not, as the determination in the woman's eyes revealed that she wasn't going to make this one-sided conversation easy. Still looking around and obviously trying to find someone more like her, Rina tapped her manicured nails against the counter feeling awkward. Although used to it, it was still rather disappointing. She was just thankful that there weren't many people in the cafe today; a lot less embarrassing for her. In the usual fashion that she was accustomed to, the few people that were in the cafe went about their business, leaving the teen to try scramble to save the mood between younger and older.

As if an ask for more instance button was pressed, Ms. Shimizu returned from outside, washing her hands and wiping them on a fresh looking apron. "Mrs. Aragaki, it's good to see you! The regular today?" The tanned woman gripped Rina's shoulder and she took this as her cue to leave the awkward situation. Even though, every fiber of her being was screeching at her to explain to that woman that just because her skin was brown, it didn't mean she was any less Japanese than the rest. She was positive she was more Japanese than any American-born Japanese person.

Debating with herself if she should go back and say something, she stood on the far end of the counter biting her lip and staring at nothing. _Educate, be firm, but also be respectful._ _Educate, be firm, but also be respectful._ _Educate. Be firm. But, also be respectful._ Hyping herself up for the biggest TedTalk of the century, she bounced from foot to foot, shaking out whatever doubt she was feeling.

Turning around, she slid back up to the counter, placing a hand on Ms. Shimizu's arm and stopped her mid-sentence. _I'm gonna do it. You got this. _"Excuse me," she spoke, catching both of their attention. Taking a deep breath, she quickly played over what she wanted to say before formulating her thoughts aloud.

"I would like to say that I speak fluent Japanese and did not appreciate how you undermined my ability to speak and converse in my native language. I do somewhat understand that you believed you were being respectful by attempting to speak a language it looks like I would know. However, looks can indeed be deceiving and it is very offensive to assume that—"

Rina jumped, feeling something wet flick against the skin of her calve. Quickly brought back to reality, she realized that she was still on the far side of the counter and Mrs. Aragaki's order had already been taken, leaving Rina staring into space and imagining what she thought would be the most epic TedTalk of the season.

_Damnit._ Casting a slightly dejected glance down, she smiled softly at Ms. Shimizu's dog. Bending down, she ran her fingers through his fluffy white fur and scratched him behind the ear. His leash was cupped in his mouth, and laying a hand flat in front of him, he dropped the thick, yellow braided thread.

"Is it time for your walk already?" She asked, baby-talking the medium-sized pup. "Let me get my things and then we can go, bub," she scratched him behind the ear one more time before standing back up to her full height. The elderly woman had taken a seat already, what Rina assumed was her usual spot, and contentedly looked out of the window like she hadn't just offended one of the best people that walked into the cafe. Ms. Shimizu, giving her a knowing look and a coy smile, leaned against the counter, waving her over.

After fastening the leash around the Akita's collar, her heels clicked against the marble floor, the fluffy pooch following behind her in tiny, excited steps. "You sure were in a daze. I was almost betting you were going to say something this time," the owner laughed, passing the girl a cup of hot tea. Rina could agree with this, _almost_ disappointed that her confrontation was only an over-imaginative farce.

"I couldn't finish out the scenario, thanks to Kyo." The dog barked as if agreeing with her statement and Rina laughing, bending down and giving him a firm pat. "I'm going to go and take this good boy on his walk and then get ready to go. I still have a few errands to run before I have to get ready for work."

"Time is ticking. A couple more weeks and you'll have one less job to do. Maybe you can come and work for me now, hm? I've waited my turn and now there's a spot open for me." Ms. Shimizu nudged the girl with her elbow, and Rina shrugged her shoulders coyly.

"I dunno~ Cute dogs, great atmosphere, yummy treats, _and_ English lessons? That seems like a full package deal. I might be a fool to pass that up." The middle-aged woman snorted in laughter, glancing in Mrs. Aragaki's direction to make sure she didn't hear the last sarcastic bit of Rina's confessions. "If you'll have me and my dramatics, I'd be honored to work under you. I'll E-mail you my schedule."

"Make it a call and you have yourself a deal. We all know if you E-mail it to me I'll never find it."

* * *

The curve of a tail was a tricky thing to draw. If anyone knew that, it was Rina. With all of the tails wagging in nearly every inch of the area, Rina had to narrow her eyes to focus on the swish of Kyo's tail as he bounced up and down, baiting the other dogs to play. She watched intent, her eyes scanning over the entire scene of the dog park. A prime spot she'd claimed—right up on the only table the dogs hadn't destroyed and near the only working water fountain for humans—Rina had the whole layout of the park at her disposal, and that was exactly what she wanted.

Her eyes scanned the area, taking in everything. From the flirting couple down near the gate to the man stepping in poop and loudly complaining about it further in the field, it was all visible to her, and it was all currently being sketched. She paused a moment, staring at the base artwork of lines and shapes that would soon form people and objects. Her eyes scanned the park again, though they picked up nothing out of the ordinary as Kyo ran back over, slowing down into a trot to sit in front of her. He barked once, letting his presence be known and Rina looked up, then down at the dog, "If you want water, get one of your friends' parents," Rina told him, wagging her pen at him, "You know you didn't give me enough time to grab anything, right?"

Kyo didn't seem to register what she was saying and instead barked once more, tilting his head to the side. Rina sighed, turning back to her drawing while Kyo sat there for another few moments. Once again, he barked, making Rina click her teeth before looking at him. The look was enough for him to start moving, and when he did, he pointed towards one of the very few trees the dog park held.

Squinting, Rina held a hand over her eyes to block the sun and blinked a few times, vision clearing. "Who is that?" She asked, squinting more. It wasn't as if she'd known everyone in the dog park, but there were hardly any new customers coming to the dog park, or the dog park cafe as the locals often called the Shiba Inu due to it's serving of dog treats along with human ones.

The man, from what she could make out, had on some kind of suit, black, pressed. Clearly apart of a three piece set, complete with black leather shoes and sunglasses. Interesting choice, Rina thought for a moment. Aviators, different from the usual black on black shades she'd expect that type of person to wear. He tipped his glasses, eyes glued on her. She sat back, clearing her throat. Unnerved, Rina shook her head, she wouldn't look back at him again. "Okay..." Rina sang. Practically flying off of the table to stuff her things in her bag, she hooked Kyo's leash, "Let's make our break for it. I...I, uh, got some things to do anyway, and _you_ must miss your mommy, huh?" At that, Kyo whined, tapping his feet against the grass, "That's what I thought."

Still, Rina looked back, and he was gone. If that didn't put a pep in her step, she wasn't sure what else she could do. "Alright, a little faster, Kyo." Rina tried to hurry the dog, all but slapping the leash back on and snatching the dog up into her arms. The rational part of her brain told her there probably wasn't anything to worry about, but the irrational part chimed in, mentioning maybe it was someone coming to collect her.

For what? She wasn't sure, but a thousand and twelve scenarios ran through her head, each more disturbing than the last and she wouldn't let a Men in Black reject take her in the middle of a dog park. Surely they could take her somewhere a little more classy, couldn't they? Or maybe she was overthinking those letters. Kyo trotted behind Rina as she pushed open the gate and left the dog park.

Though, for some reason, the streets didn't feel as safe as they normally did. Every alleyway invited new ideas of getting spirited away and every person she passed made her cross the street. No doubt Kyo was tired of crossing at about the fourth time. Even with all of the people in front of her, Rina couldn't help but feel as if something was behind her, looming like a dark shadow, but Kyo had yet to respond to it. She wasn't sure if it was early on-set paranoia or actual fear, but she did know that she had to keep up a quick pace.

Looking back wasn't an option, especially when she could hear the sound of someone's footfalls, who hadn't passed her yet, approaching quickly. It wasn't a run yet, but it wasn't a walk. Maybe a brisk pace? Rina thought and then reevaluated her thoughts. Did she really have time to categorize the way she ran away; well, not ran because she's still kind of walking and— "Ma'am!"

Rina wasn't a _ma'am_, so that couldn't be for her, right? "With the purple sweater!" Okay, so maybe she _was_ the ma'am in this situation, but that didn't mean she wanted to find out who the caller was. If asked, she would attest that was the last thing on her agenda. Her pace picked up and it was almost a run? Maybe a jog. Heavier than a jog, lighter than a full out run-for-your-life, but somewhere in between mixed with a fair amount of fear.

Did she want to glance back? She almost felt compelled to do so. Maybe it was someone she knew? No, that couldn't be right, could it? No one she knew called her ma'am. The voice didn't sound familiar on top of that, and she had a heavy inkling that maybe it was that man from the park. She looked at Kyo, the dog barely seemed to notice her plight as he happily trotted at the faster pace.

She asked herself again: did she want to glance back? All those horror movies that she would watch through her hands were playing on loop inside her head. What if he dragged her into an alley? Or what if he just stabbed her in broad daylight? Or wha—Rina glanced back at him, not expecting the man to be so close.

Her head snapped back around and she picked up the pace even more. Okay, so maybe she wasn't fit to be in a horror movie, or she should've taken notes while she watched because that was probably the worst thing she could've done. There was a stumble, maybe she stepped on a rock weird, but Rina nearly doubled over as she snatched Kyo up off of the pavement.

Running was something Rina never did. If she were _actually_ in a horror movie, she would probably lay down, fix her makeup and clothes, and be ready for death as it was, but real-life Rina, somehow, had gotten the idea in her head that she was good at running. Kyo struggled under her arm, but Rina didn't stop running.

"Hey! Wait!" He called after her, "I just wanna talk!"

"So you can ask me how I wanna die? No thanks!" Rina breathed out, or at least tried to because her lungs were telling her to stop doing crazy things. Things like being physical. Her heels clicked against the pavement and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew once she was safe, she was going to be upset that the heels were ruined. She worked a double shift to even be able to buy them off the shelves. _Also_, she wondered, _what idiot wears heels to a dog park? Oh, yeah... me. _

The streets looked familiar but still didn't look safe as she skidded, nearly slamming into the railing and turned. Catching a glimpse of the man, suit disheveled, sunglasses askew, he looked like he too wasn't built for the task of running after an unwilling victim. Kyo barked once, squirming in her arms again as she ran down the side street. Just two more blocks until she was somewhere safe. He called out once more, and Rina could feel Kyo's tail slapping against her body, "_What_ about this is fun and exciting?" She asked, though it hardly sounded like that. Kyo only barked again in response, and Rina looked up. The sign of a dog's face came into view, but Rina didn't stop running.

Lucky for her, someone exiting the little shop had the door open. Although she skidded once more, nearly slamming into the door, she and Kyo yelped as she slipped on the rug right at the entrance. Freeing himself before she could fall over, Kyo hopped out of Rina's grips as the girl tumbled to the floor in the near-empty shop. Facedown, Rina paused for a moment, not wanting to get up to look at the faces of the patrons who were no doubt staring at her.

Turning to her, he panted, tail still wagging as he licked her arm. "We almost died and this is all you have to say for yourself?" Rina was lifted off of the ground by Ms. Shimizu, who stared at her, holding her up just as one would a child.

"I feel like I need to ask what happened, but at the same time, I kind of don't want to know." Ms. Shimizu stared at her soon-to-be employee.

"Trust me...it's kind of a long story." Rina stared down at the woman, "...Can you put me down?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Ms. Shimizu set Rina down on her feet, looking her over once more, "Did Kyo start fighting with the other dogs again? I swear, that boy just-"

"We almost _died, _Chishi. I saw my life flash before my eyes and I didn't like much of what I saw." Rina gripped the woman's shoulders, "I was followed."

"From the park?" Ms. Shimizu asked for clarification. She looked towards the door, not seeing anyone through the glass of the storefront. Rina nodded just as Ms. Shimizu's expression turned serious. "Alright, just stay in the back for a little while, I'll drive you home when it's time to close."

* * *

**Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome - Tuesday, March 27, 2018**

Running errands was never difficult, _mostly_, but they always took a few things to get them completed; time, patience, and more time. Living in a city like Tokyo, time was of the essence and Rina always had to make sure she left not early, not late, but _on time._ There were many great cities located all around Tokyo and to get to them, she had to commute..._everywhere_.

A fifteen-minute train ride, a ten-minute bus ride, and maybe even a few minutes walk after that is what her day usually consisted of. Commute to use the bathroom. Commute to sleep. Commute to talk. Commute to go to school. Well, that part was true. Early morning commutes were a thing for her.

So much buffering time was needed just to get back and forth from home to work, and as much as she would _love_ to lug around her work uniforms, that was a lot of material she did not want to personally keep up with.

One bus ride away from her job, Rina sat in a cozy convenience store at the counter, counting down the minutes until her instant ramen was ready to be eaten. She glanced at her phone, then at the clock ticking against the wall, then at the bowl. A few more seconds and _snap_, she split her chopsticks from one another and stirred the soup and noodles together. Perfectly timed ramen meant really good ramen. Not too soft, not too firm, but just right. Rina sighed in content, slurping up what she liked to call pre-dinner, and looked out of the window.

In a city that never sleeps, there were crowds and crowds of people out and about on Tuesday afternoon. Although used to crowds, she preferred to avoid them as much as possible, and waiting in her favorite little shop was the best way. Since working at the _Dreaming of Gaienmae_ restaurant over the summer, the convenience store became hang-out spot for her. Hang-out meaning wait for work to start and eat as much as she could until it was time to go, hangout. It took her a few weeks to realize that the window was one-way, and her co-workers on their commute home weren't ignoring her as she waved. Much like an idiot sometimes, and those times were the most uncomfortable to be left hanging on.

Not only was it nice to have an unlimited amount of food (even _if_ she didn't have an unlimited amount of money), it was nice being able to quietly people watch without it being awkward. Or stuff her face without people on the other side of the glass seeing her. The only thing accompanying her was the soft ticking of the clock, the murmur from the low tv, and the quick chime of the bell when people entered. Surprisingly, she realized throughout the entire summer, she got the most work done at the tall, sleek counter with the occasional sticky spills. For every mess she cleaned up she thought she should be getting paid for being on the clock.

Rina could really concentrate behind the one-sided glass, and people-watching became easier, if not more creepy at the same time. However, that was definitely beside the point. No different from usual, her tattered sketchbook was open to a more recent page as she jotted down quick, shorthand notes about the things that she saw. It was amazing how much fashion has changed just since the beginning of summer. Bright colors, frills, and patterns were all in and that made designing outfits a lot more fun. Taking a ruler out of her bag, she split her page into medium-sized rectangles and labeled the first body shape she would be studying and exploring.

It was important to keep in mind that with diamond-shaped females, they tend to look better wearing shirts with wide necklines and princess sleeves since the hips are usually broader than the bust. Paired with a fabric that resembles fine cotton, Rina would be able to make a sleek, form-fitting blouse. _Maybe a light royal blue color matched with an a-line shirt with frills._ Her pencil lightly scraped across the paper while she ate her pre-dinner at the same time. Keeping the bowl of ramen away from her book, she splashed the soup against her chin and groaned childishly, stuck in a loop. With pencil and chopsticks in hand, she was unsure which one to put down first.

A napkin was placed in her view and dropping the pencil, she grabbed the square piece of paper and dabbed her mouth. Swallowing the food in her mouth, she turned her attention towards the man she didn't even realize sat beside her. "Thank you," she bowed her head softly, before turning back to her work. One mark against her paper, two marks against her paper, three— and the man still hadn't looked away from her. The eyes on her side felt oddly familiar, but she didn't think much of it at first. She glanced at him side-longly and he was doing the same, albeit a bit more obviously. He tried to peek up at her face and the teen turned her body away from him. _If I knew accepting the napkin would make this happen, I would have kept my soup covered chin._

She thought her horoscope for once was going to be wrong. Okay, that was a lie, she knew it wasn't going to be wrong (it _never_ was), but she had hoped that Monday's event was the only stressful thing that she would have to encounter. Was this going to be like one of those movies where the guy was obsessed with the girl, because if so, she wanted a refilm. This would definitely be the second movie she'd starred in that week, and that was a little too much if you asked her. If she slowly, very slowly, sloth slowly, packed up her things, maybe he wouldn't notice she was uncomfortable. Closing the sketchbook, she placed it back into her bag and zipped it up.

"Excuse me?" _No, don't talk to me, I can't be willingly mean. _Rina stiffly (and slowly, since she was still trying her become part of the universe method) turned towards the man, barely showing her teeth in acknowledgment. _Awkward smile, check._ "I thought you looked familiar!" The man snapped his fingers and pointed at her, eyes shining with true recognition. Although, Rina was still left in the dark and had no idea who this man was. It sounded like one of those _you could be a model or an idol_ scams and thankfully she wasn't born yesterday.

"You have the wrong person," she blurted, not caring if she actually was the right person or not. She gathered the remaining ramen into her mouth, drinking down the cooled soup before sliding out of her chair.

"Morikawa Rina, right?" She stopped, bag falling off of her shoulder in her hurry. "You forgot this at the party a few days ago and I kept it in my pocket hoping I'd run into you." Party? Rina looked at the man closely, trying to find the same recognition he held for her but she still had no idea who he was. Was he a guest at a party she worked at? He pushed the piece of paper in front of her and she reached out to grab it before stopping short. Countless zeros, a name scribbled at the bottom, her name addressed on the paper; she knew exactly what it was. "Ironically, I did run into you! And we did a lot of running, I wasn't expecting you to move like that in heels, but I'm glad I caught up with you again."

This was the sharply dressed guard from the party that came to her that night to _apologize_. And apparently the same one who had her fearing for her life and had her father patrolling the apartment complex last night. He was dressed more casually today with jeans and a T-shirt, that she didn't notice it was him, not that she could remember his face, what with the sunglasses being on both times she met him. Not that she would have realized it was him if he wore a suit, but still, he was not who she wanted to see. "That was a terribly corny way to reintroduce yourself. Did you expect me to thank you for leaving something behind that I didn't want?" The small smile that stretched across his face quickly fell and she could tell she had him stumped.

"Look, Ms. Morikawa, it will be a lot easier on the _both_ of us if you just accept the money and sign the agreement." Agreement? That was new. She didn't remember anything about an agreement from that night, and frankly, she wasn't at all curious enough to ask about the details. Checking her phone, she noticed she had three minutes to get to her bus or she would be running to work. And, she surely didn't want to be running again.

"_Look_, I know you're just doing your job, but I don't want it so I'm not going to take it. I had forgotten about it until you showed up again."

"The hosts—" Rina held up her index finger, stopping the man from finishing.

"Are sorry? You're gonna be sorry if I'm late for work." She was not about to get her pay docked for being a minute or two late and she most definitely was not about to run a few blocks just to get to work if she missed her bus. "It's fine. I'm over it. So, tell your hosts to stop being dramatic and leave it alone." She fixed her bag properly onto her back and darted away from the man.

"Ms. Morikawa!"

She felt like Aurora from Sleeping Beauty as she rushed away from her prince. Except, he wasn't a prince and the only thing similar was how Rina ran in the opposite direction. His cries of her name muffled as she ran past a person coming through the door upon her exit and she dared not to look back. That was how characters fell in horror movies and she was not about to become part of that troupe...again.

_Man, really feelin' it for all my Leo's out there this week. _

* * *

**Komagome, Friday, March 30, 2018**

Usually, Rina was ecstatic when Friday came around. It meant the week was pretty much over and her day off was right around the corner. However, today's Friday was a different story entirely. This week, specifically, had been one of the most stressful and school hadn't even started yet. "You know," Meisa drawled from behind the register, "You aren't _exactly_ supposed to be behind here." She looked down at the girl hiding behind the counter, crouched lower than what she thought she could.

Rina scowled up at the smaller girl, fingers creeping over the counter and pulling herself up to look outside the window. Black suit. Check. Black car. Check. No way out. Fuc—fudged. Mesia handed her best friend a scope of chocolate ice cream and Rina took it carefully, sighing in content when she took a spoonful into her mouth. It had been an ongoing thing all week. Not the ice cream, unfortunately, but the man in the black suit. Everywhere she went, he was always there.

She went to the mall with the kids she babysat on Wednesday, and guess who was in the food court waiting. Mr. Black Suit and Intimidation. After shaking him off and returning the kids, she went grocery shopping and she bet you would never be able to guess who was in the cereal aisle..._waiting_. Mr. Suede Shoes and let me help you get that off the shelf. She definitely didn't need help getting anything off a shelf, if anything, she would be helping him in a normal situation. Either he didn't understand or the hosts of that party were too spoiled to take no for an answer. And, she knew what spoiled was, but even _she_ knew no meant no.

Thursday, after the multiple run-ins with the man, she decided enough was enough and thought going to the police would be a smart choice. _Luckily _for her, she found two on-duty officers on the streets of Omotesando and tried to explain to them what the problem was. They apparently didn't find her issue to be well, just that, an issue, and even encouraged her to take the money. She was convinced those cops were also in cahoots and realized she could trust no one. She was alone in this cruel world all because she wouldn't accept some cheap, hushpuppy money.

Rina thought about telling her dad, but decided against that, seeing as he would try and keep her locked in the house for her own protection. A little dramatic, yes, but she wouldn't put it past the man. So now, the only thing she could do was hide behind an ice cream parlor counter and eat whatever frozen treats Meisa threw her way. "You know," Rina copied her friend, "who's gonna stop me? You the manager and there's only two other people working today." As if the man knew she was looking at him he turned in her direction and she ducked behind the counter once more, slamming her forehead against the edge.

"Ow! Omg." She whined, rubbing the damaged spot. She had been there for about thirty minutes and he still hadn't moved from that spot.

"Why don't you just, idk, take the money so he'll leave," Meisa suggested, leaning against the counter and waving at the man standing outside. She pouted when he made no move to acknowledge her, but she was sure he saw her.

"Do you not know me?" Rina asked, squinting at the girl like she was stupid or something. "I'm not gonna take it because they're forcing me to and most importantly, I don't wanna."

"Okay, but are you a toddler, because you sound like a baby."

"At least I'm not toddler-sized."

"If I kick you in the shin or stomp on your toes, you're still coming down, so it doesn't even matter."

"Now who sounds like a baby," Rina laughed, falling over onto her bottom as Meisa kicked the girl from her squat. To think, Rina could be enjoying this high-quality banter with her best friend normally, not behind a counter, like an idiot, if Mr. Take The Money wasn't outside waiting for her. Wait. Rina stopped laughing, gripping onto Meisa's leg, and staring wide-eyed at the girl.

"Wait a minute...he knows everywhere I am, no matter what. Am I being stalked?"

"Are you—Unbelievable. You just now figured that out?" Meisa shook the girl from her leg, walking to grab a cleaning rag and wiped off the spilled ice cream puddled against the counter.

"You mean you _knew_ and didn't tell me!" Teeth gritted and voice low, she crawled over, avoiding any of the melted drops of ice cream on the floor. _Man, I bet I look like such a first-class idiot._ Instead of answering, the girl just laughed, leaving Rina looking off into the distance like an heiress in one of those Bollywood movies. Sighing, she fell back onto her bottom, crossing her legs underneath her in a spot out of the way. According to the bus app, she had ten minutes until her bus home arrived, and until then she was going to stay in this one spot.

Meisa welcomed the next customer that walked in, and Rina could only hope that it wasn't the man finally giving in. "Do you know someone name Morikiwa or something? Dude outside wanted me to pass this note along." The short-haired manager snorted, taking the note from the sporty boy before taking his order and serving him his ice cream.

"He's even recruiting customers," she whistled, unfolding the note and reading it aloud. "Ms. Morikiwa," Meisa purposely mispronounced the name, "_I understand that this may be uncomfortable for you, however, if you just accept, it'll all go away_—"

"Was this letter supposed to intimidate me, because feeling the pressure. Also, I feel like a streetwalker now."

"Please. You have the legs for it, but not the personality you soft ass. Anyway, as I was saying," she cleared her throat and continued reading, this time adding a deep voice along with it. "_Other employees have been properly dealt with and you are the last one, so please do not make this harder than it has to be. If you do not accept the money, other measures will be taken._"

"O-Other measures?" Rina repeated, snatching the letter out of Meisa's hands. The girl squatted near her friend, looking at the letter as well. "What kind of other measures? I'm too tall for most torture devices—do you think he's gonna 'gently persuade me' by dumping my head in a basin of water? Or leave me in a cabin in the woods and-"

"His handwriting is too ugly for their of those things to happen," Meisa responds, "I think other measures are them forcibly depositing money into your account? I wish that happened to me." Meisa clicked her tongue. "You're gonna let him talk to you like that, though? Let him stick your tall ass in a corner?"

"I'm not in a corner, Meisa." Rina looked at the letter again, "I'm...just hiding behind a counter in an ice cream parl—okay, that's probably just as bad. But...what do I do?"

"You go out there, and you get _angry_! And you make him leave you alone! And make him leave soon, the DM is coming by inna'bout an hour and I can't have weird black cars outside in the fire lane." Meisa pulled Rina into a standing position and began dusting her off to make her look presentable, "Don't worry, if anything happens, I know some cops who don't mind coming over really quick. They owe me."

"I don't know if I'm more afraid of you or of him." Rina looked at the man who was leaning against the car, sunglasses pushed down to expose his eyes.

"At least it's not the Yakuza, they owe me a favor too, but Inosuke is out on business in China, so they won't be here—anyway, anyway. Go give him a piece of your mind. Let Inner Rina become Outer Rina and rip that guy an extra asshole!" Meisa pumped her fists in the air.

As odd as the pep talk was, Rina did feel a little better about confronting the man. Head held high, Rina strode out of the ice cream parlor, and straight up to the man. He stared at her, expectant and that was where Rina immediately lost her confidence. "H-Hello..and g-good day." Rina's voice cracked through her small greeting, "Wh-What... can I do for you?"

"You could accept this money." The man responded, "And sign the contract while you're at it."

"That's...not going to happen." Rina finally answered after a long pause, "If this week was any indication on that, you should know I'm not going to take it. B-But—However, I don't appreciate threats like this. Other measures? Are you gonna stuff me in a box? Well, be prepared to pay a lot of shipping on it because I'm tall so it's gonna be a big box and I also have some poundage going on, so this isn't going to be cheap!"

"What? Stuff you in a—did you get the wrong idea from my letter?"

"You said 'other measures would be taken', how else are you supposed to interpret that? That literally means I'm going to die! B-Because I'm gonna be killed, by you!" Rina shoved her finger in his face, "Because I don't take bribes!"

"Look, Morikawa," The man cleared his throat, "I know this is uncomfortable for you, and I'm sorry I chased you around all week, but this is in your best interest to accept it. These people, if I'm honest, are leagues away from anything we could _possibly_ dream about. The more you resist, well, the harder the next person will come at you."

"What does that mean?" Rina narrowed her eyes, "Someone else is gonna torture me?"

"Wh—No, nobody's gonna torture you or put you into a box! What I'm trying to say is: please accept the money, these people won't stop until you do. And they'll get more and more creative than sending a bodyguard around in a car and suit to give you a couple million yen."

Rina looks at him for a moment. She can tell he's sincere, even with half of his face covered by sunglasses. His tone drips with a pleading-ness that Rina almost gives in to. Almost. "I'm sorry," She finally says, "Tell them I'll give my word to not mention this, but please leave me alone. If I wanted to let the public know about this, don't you think I would've gotten names, pictures and other significant things ready and in order? It's been a whole week since that party and I barely remember the faces of anyone from it."

"I get that, but these people... they're—Ms. Morikawa?"

"It's Rina and I have to go, my bus is coming." Rina strode away, leaving the man on the street.

"Ms. Morikawa! Please!" He called again. Rina stopped, turning slightly to look at him. Feeling hopeful, the man pushed off of the car, moving to approach her.

"The manager inside the ice cream parlor says to get out of the fire lane." Rina informed him before she turned, speed-walking down the street to the bus stop, hopefully leaving the man behind for the last time.


	3. Imitation III

**Hello hello !**

A few updates that I wanted my readers to be aware of! I've taken the time to go back and edit and revise each chapter that I have so far. With that being said, there are a few more events and details that have been added into both chapters one and two. Chapter two has been split into parts, so, please, make sure to go back and read over the new and improved parts of the story! I'm so excited to continue with this story as I have some BIG things planned for it. The revisions are just making room for those plans.

Also, I want give a huge thank you to one of my best friends. She's amazing and has been such a big help in my writing process. She's always the first to read over my work and help me revise if I'm having thoughts, or if she has any. Bouncing ideas with her is one thing that really keeps me writing. Thanks to her and her help, I can post with confidence. This story is my baby just as much as it is hers.

**Dear JuggernautJJ**

_Rina is definitely mixed! Although, her English isn't that developed, or articulate because she's lived in Japan for her entire life. I'll start dropping more hints as to what she looks like, so be on the lookout and tell me what you think later. ;)_

**Dear paulavara140**

_Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you're enjoying it so far. Another update, not just revisions, will be coming really soon. So, please, look forward to it!_

**Dear liptint**

_When I say that your review had me FLOORED. I was at a loss for words when I first read it and I just want to say, thank you so much for taking the time to leave me such a kind, detailed review. It really does help my confidence as a writer getting appreciation for my work, even in its early stages. I'm happy that you're enjoying Rina's character so far. She's currently my child and I can't wait to see her develop to something even greater as the story progresses. She is most definitely a Blasian character and I love how perceptive you were to that. I dropped a few subtle hints without outright saying it, and it's awesome that you picked up on them. But, I agree! Especially with a manga/anime like Ouran, in many fics, it's frustrating when the characters look amazing in everything, but take no interest in fashion and make no effort to look nice. It seems as though many writers explore both concepts at once because they still want their characters to appear desirable. But, if I'm going to write a tomboy character, she's going to be a tomboy. Just like with Rina, if I'm going to make her fashionable, she's going to care about her appearance, and that's okay both ways. Thank you for taking the time to write this review. I really enjoyed reading it!_

* * *

**Imitation III - chess is a game played by Rina's rules**

**Leo's Daily Horoscope**

_Leo, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine, but don't get too comfortable yet. This week has been a tough one, but as most lions are, you're resilient. The universe will be throwing a few more tests your way today, but tell it to bring it on. Once you're out of the tunnel, you'll have nothing but sunshine._

* * *

**Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome - Saturday, March 31, 2018**

Like a child or a small dog only able to hold onto one emotion at a time, Rina's anger from the previous day had simmered and she was left only _slightly _annoyed. Who did they think they were _demanding_ that she take some money as an apology? No matter how many times she thought about it, it still sounded crazy to her. No doubt, the host of the party was used to paying people to be quiet, but Rina refused to be another notch under their belt. Did she use that correctly? Either way, she wasn't accepting the money and that was final.

Morals? They had none and at least her father raised her with enough high morals for both of them. She hoped that the sharply dressed man would leave her alone after yesterday, and that their conversation was enough to convince him to stop. All week she felt like she was once again in another movie, some kind of action-thriller, sans the explosions and buff love interest, or that she was in some kind of marathon, with all the running she had been doing.

After she had left the man behind, she saw him take his phone out of his pocket and she almost expected the bus driver to stop, because, with her luck, the driver would have been in cahoots with these shenanigans, too. But, nothing happened, and she found herself safely at home. That brought her to today, where there was no sign of him, and it was mildly suspicious. It was like the quiet before the storm. The calm outside a department store before a sale. And, Rina just knew, something was going to happen. Her horoscope did say _all_ week. Not to mention her daily horoscope said that she would be tested today, and she didn't like tests.

The practiced server smile painted against her lips as she passed an elegant, dining couple before making her way back into the kitchen where her shoulders immediately slumped and she relaxed. It was always exhausting holding a fake smile, but being as sweet as sugar did get her the nice tips. It felt good to be in the restaurant for once and not off-site catering for some event. The entire summer she was mostly part of the catering crew, and although sometimes events were pleasant, she missed being a regular waitress and not moving around anything but the tables. Maneuvering around people was hard because, well, they moved.

She placed the dirty dishes into the sink, thanking the dishwasher in advance and placing in the next order. Finally able to take a breather, she found her way into the break room and sat against the arm of the chair. She knew if she plopped down onto the comfortable couch she would have a difficult time getting up. Saturday nights were always busy, no matter where she worked. The door opened and Rina waved in greeting.

"Rina, my girl. Fancy meeting you here. Do you come here often?" Tadashi grinned, falling against the couch much like she wanted to. The girl laughed, flicking his nose affectionately. If there was one thing she was going to miss about letting this job go at the end of summer, minus the tips and wage, it was working with Tadashi. She'd agree that becoming friends with him was one of the best things about getting this job, although she would never admit that to him. He could be a little sappy sometimes, which for a literature major, made sense.

"You would know, wouldn't you? You come here way more often than me." The man shrugged, running his hands through his fluffy hair and winking.

"Shh, you'll blow my cover...girl," he paused, making a usual horrible joke, before laughing at his terrible pun. Rina stared at him, not able to believe what she was hearing.

"That was terrible. Omg, I'm glad I won't have to hear those for much longer."

"That was clever! Don't leave me hanging, my Amazonian Princess. That was comedic gold," he wiped a tear from his eye, catching his breath. "But don't remind me. I'm gonna really miss you. Who else is going to help me get things off the high storage shelf?"

"Don't you worry, that's why I've invented something called a ladder. Works like a charm, with or without me." She announced like a commercial, pulling up a picture of a ladder attached to a child's slide on her phone. He snorted laughing at her subtle hit at him.

"Onto more important matters. What's the update with you and your secret admirer? You and Meisa have been blowing the group chat up and I feel left out." He laid down, kicking his legs up behind him like he was at a slumber party and was getting the latest, juicy details. Jokes on him, though, there wasn't much to tell.

"Don't you ever disrespect me like that again. Secret admirer my a-ass," she stumbled over the swear, as she coughed. "And, nothing you haven't read. He's shown up almost everywhere I've gone, but no sight of him today, thankfully."

"Why don't you just take the money? From what Meisa says, it was hefty hefty hefty."

"Yeah, and that joke is wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. But, I refuse to take money as an apology. If the host felt like he or she needed to apologize, they could have sent a nice apology note, but money isn't it." Tadashi shook his head, humming in agreement.

"Tadano took the apology money and quit as soon as he got it." He rubbed the scruff on his chin, giving the girl a look. She returned the look, brow raised as if asking him to continue his thoughts, but he said nothing else.

"Are you trying to convince me to take it?" She sounded almost disappointed, but he shook his head in disagreement.

"Nah, it all seems pretty grimey like you said, but it's not cool that they're harassing you to take it." Rina hadn't thought of it like that, but she was indeed being harassed, whether they saw it like that or not. It was silent for a moment before Tadashi got up from the couch, making a loud groan and stretching. "Let's get back to work before Wataheadache notices we aren't on the floor," he patted her head lightly, careful not to muse her hair. She smiled thankfully at him, happy that he defused the semi-serious atmosphere and followed behind him.

* * *

A man dressed in his favorite midnight black suit held the door open for his employer before walking inside. Looking around the restaurant he saw that tonight was rather busy, and he left...Is what he wanted to do, especially after his unbearably long week. He didn't think he had worked as hard as he did that week out of his entire life, and that was saying something. However, Morikawa Rina made his week strenuous.

"And," his employer droned in a bored tone, "You're _positive_ that she works here?" The shorter male asked Kensuke who nodded. His employer hummed, standing in the area as they waited to be seated.

"I _have_ been following her around all week, per your requests. _I_ think I would know where she spends most of her time." The man was feeling a bit annoyed as his employer questioned him. It wasn't like he had been out all week, from sunup to sundown learning everything that he could about some teenaged girl that wanted nothing to do with him. He felt weird even thinking about it like that, but it was like he knew more about her than what he did himself. He was more than sure that daytime stake-outs weren't apart of his job description as a bodyguard, but somehow the teen he worked for always found a way to rope him into his club's shenanigans.

"People who can't even do their job correctly don't get to snark, Kensuke," the boy glanced at the man, daring him to dispute with a wry grin curving his lips. Kensuke grimaced, rolling his eyes. Of course, this would be his fault, he wasn't surprised at all. The sooner they found Rina, the sooner the teen would be able to make her sign the agreement, take the money, and then he could go home and get some much-needed rest.

"Not like I keep you protected or anything…" Kensuke muttered, looking to the side and frowning.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, this way, sir." Kensuke cleared his throat, arm out as he gestured for his employer to walk first. The boy walked first, somehow commanding the attention of those who seemed to notice him with his confident stride up to the maî-tre d.

Ironically, the maî·tre d did not address the boy, but instead, turned to the man behind him. "Hello and Welcome to Dreaming of Gaienmae. It'll be a few minutes for a table."

"_Actually_, I _don't_ believe it will be a few minutes for a table." The boy responded, flashing his sleek, black card in front of the maî-tre d. "I'd prefer a table closest to the window, but my second choice would also be a table closest to the window."

"R-Right, of course!" The man scrambled, "Right away, sir!"

"Was that really necessary?" Kensuke commented, watching the man scramble and nearly run into the desk as he rushed to find them a table. "You could've waited a few minutes, maybe then a table in her section would've been free."

"It was absolutely necessary, Kensuke. I don't understand why you have decided to be so mouthy tonight." The boy turned to his bodyguard, "Regardless of what section she's in, you do realize that I am able to request who I want to serve me, correct?"

"No, I'm pretty aware of that," Kensuke responded just as the maî-tre d came running back. The man stopped in front of them, hiding his panting breath from the sprint.

"R-Right this way, sir. I've procured the best table we have to offer, along with our best serve—"

"Is the server Morikawa Rina?"

"I, no, um...this server has been here for man—"

"Then change my server." He simply responded.

"I, the, she, s-she does not wait in that area, sir," the man looked nervously between the two. Kensuke bit his lip, avoiding eye contact with the man. If he knew his employer like he did there was no way that he was going to take any excuses. The only thing he wanted was results and it would be wise for the maî-tre d to realize that soon.

"And I assume she has legs. She may use them." The two blinked at one another, staring each other down and with a simple quirk of a brow, the maî-tre d began to scramble to please once more.

"R-Right, I'll go inform the staff of the change. F-Follow me, please." The maî-tre d about-faced and lead the boy and his bodyguard towards the table that he requested. Kensuke gestured for the boy to go before him, and without a hitch, they were led to a dimly lit area next to a window, just as his employer had requested.

Kensuke found it rather ironic that Morikawa Rina worked in this area, as his employer lived in Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome. Upon hearing she worked at this restaurant, he was less than impressed, however. Due to a few management issues, the once 5-star restaurants reputation had fallen into the trash. It was rather unfortunate to the teen that he had to even step foot into such a low grade establishment where people flashed what little money they were able to get ahold of.

The bodyguard pulled out the chair for the teen to sit down, pushing it in and standing behind him, hands clasped in front. The maî-tre d looked between the two, carefully placing one menu in front of the seated teen before slipping the second menu underneath his arm. He bowed, excusing himself and left the two patrons to their own thoughts.

"Now, we wait."

* * *

Every server had something called _the smile. _It was the very polite, practiced, perfect little server lilt of the lips that was supposed to keep the customers at ease. Unfortunately, it was starting to crack and she was having a horrible time trying to keep it in place. It had been a long night and the next thing she wanted to do was go home and hop into her bed. Working around people was exhausting, but waiting on them hand and foot was exceedingly debilitating. Therefore, the wearier she became, the more impossible it felt to keep a look of joy on her face. Pouring more of the sparkling champagne into the flutes standing proudly on the table, Rina bowed, keeping the smile on her face with ease, though something to her left caught her attention.

As she looked over, there was Watanabe, with his greasy oil-slick hair standing just a head taller than the maî-tre d, Masaru. Masaru, as Rina had learned, was the nervous, tattle-tale type who could easily kiss many a ass to please, while, as everyone else in the restaurant knew, Watanabe was the asshole type. Perfect fit for one another. They fit perfectly together and Rina could only speculate as to why they weren't together. But they weren't exactly what caught her eyes.

Instead, it was the glint of a watch, and attached to that watch was none other than that blonde-haired menace that had been bothering her all week. Only this time, he had the decency not to wear his sunglasses inside the building. From where she stood, backed off from the table she'd just serviced, she could see that the man had also noticed her and gave a small wave with a weird, grimace-like smile. Rina took that as her cue to disappear further into her section.

Though she hardly got more than a few tables into the enclosed area when she almost ran into Masaru. Another rather unsettling quirk of his—appearing when you least expected him to. "Rina," Masaru breathed out, "You're to take table 9 in Akihiko's section."

"But why?" Rina nearly whined before she remembered where she was and cleared her throat, "Is something wrong with Akihiko?"

"No, unfortunately..." Masaru cleared his throat, "You've been..._requested_ to do so by our guest."

Somewhere in her mind, Rina had a pretty good idea of who had requested her, and with Masaru approaching her like this, she knew she couldn't pretend she didn't know that she was supposed to be serving them. She frowned, _Okay, get it together, Rina. It's just a few more minutes until the end of your shift. You can handle this, you can do this, you can_—

"Rina, don't keep the guest waiting." Masaru hissed at her, walking by, definitely mumbling something under his breath that she would tell Tadashi and Meisa later. Rina sighed, trying to pull herself together one last time as she went to approach the table.

Lips wobbling, and nose flaring in discomfort, she stood there stiffly, staring at suit-wearing fiend who had now brought a _friend_ with him. Smoothly dressed in a tan turtleneck sweater matched with a grey blazer, he didn't look away from the girl, holding her attention with an authority she didn't even know a teen could have. The man across from him, blonde hair cut short, clear signs of him being either completely foreign or somehow mixed with something foreign in his green eyes and tan-in-a-different-way skin, was familiar in a way Rina didn't want him to be.

"What can I get started for you?" She asked politely, "Our house wine is particularly exquisite today."

"No wine," The boy said, "I've outlined each and every item on this menu that I would like, please return promptly."

Not liking his tone at all, Rina took the menu and vaguely wondered if he should be writing on the menus at all, but the way Masaru was acting, she was sure they'd excuse everything just short of murder (at least she hoped). "Please make yourselves comfortable, I'll be back with your drinks soon."

Within mere minutes, or tens of seconds, Rina and a few other waiters had returned with the courses he'd requested. Against the table was a five-course meal that she was almost positive he wasn't going to be able to finish on his own, nor with the help of his weird bodyguard, but that didn't seem to bother him. He had money after all. The rich so loved to waste money on food they weren't going to finish, and they loved not taking leftovers as well. Now alone after the army of servers dispersed, she didn't move, although every fiber of her being wanted her to dart the other way when he finally spoke. Although his analyst only took a minute, tops, it felt like forever to the girl.

"Morikawa Rina, I presume?" The question was rhetorical, he knew exactly who she was and she felt like such an idiot for reaching up to hide her name tag, especially when he had requested her, _by name_, she found out on her trek back to the kitchen earlier.

"No." She spoke impertinently, ready to bash her head against a wall. She was _not_ intimidated, not one bit, she was just caught off-guard. And by off-guard, she really meant it. She glanced at the bodyguard, who tried his best to keep a straight face, but was clearly amused by her antics.

He raised a keen brow, his face as straight as a lined stencil as he gestured towards the seat in front of her. "Now that the courses have arrived, please, do me the honor of taking a seat, won't you? Surely it's fairly obvious this meal is to be shared." Once again, it wasn't a question, but after regathering her nerves, she felt more obliged to turn him down.

"I apologize, sir. That would be most inappropriate if I sat with a guest during my working hours." The practiced smile reshaped and formed against her lips. However, it seemed he had an even more practiced one, but it clearly didn't reach his eyes.

"Very well. I assume you understand why I am here, Ms. Morikawa?" They both glanced at the man who had practically ignored both of them in favor of staring at the steaming food on the table. There was no need for her to answer, as just that mistake of glancing at the man was answer enough. "You were quite the hassle to keep up with this week, according to my bodyguard, and frankly, I am tired of playing these games. Unfortunately, for you at least, I had to come and finish the job my guard was not able to." The bodyguard scoffed, but nobody spoke.

She knew it. Always a hopeful one, she hoped that he wasn't related to the sharply dressed man that had been following her all week, but with him knowing her name, it would be foolish for her not to assume. "Yeah, I see you finally decided to come and profess your romantic intentions yourself. Thought the bodyguard was enough, but I'm flattered. I guess this was the other measures you mentioned in the note, huh?"

His eyebrow quirked again, and the slightest tilt of his head showed that he was surprised. He wasn't expecting such a quip, but he supposed it made sense after the week she'd been through, and how pushy he knew he was making his bodyguard be. If it wasn't for Tamaki and his kind-hearted idiocracy, he wouldn't have felt the need to push so hard. In his defense, he never foresaw this being so hard. He wasn't sure if she was playing difficult, or if the amount wasn't enough. The funds for the Host Club had already substantially depleted before the new school semester even started thanks to those _wonderful _ladies at the gathering.

He assumed that the best way to apologize to the working class was through monetary compensation, and in the beginning, he was correct. There weren't many taken advantage of at the Host Clubs back to school extravaganza, as his idiot friend liked to call it, but the few that were had already accepted and signed the contract. This Morikawa Rina was indeed a headache, and he had to take time out of his own schedule to do a job that should have been completed without him.

"Yes, well, you seem rather...resilient," he phrased his words in a way that would not offend the girl. Rina's mouth opened to retort but was quickly stifled when Manager Watanabe grabbed the scruff of her collar. _Oh heck no._ She shrugged herself loose from the ill-tempered man and shot him an incredulous look.

"Morikawa, just because you've been requested, doesn't mean you can neglect your other guests," Watanabe whispered to her, grabbing her arm. He then smiled his brightest at the boy and bodyguard, "I'm sorry, but Morikawa does have other responsibi—"

"You wanna explain why you think touching me is appropriate?" She retorted, for once, unable to keep her word vomit to herself. Ripping her arm from his grip, Watanabe was shocked for a moment before fixing his face. He seethed, clearing his throat, and motioned Masaru to placate the tables from Rina's section.

"If you don't start doing your job, I'll be taking your minutes of idleness out of your paycheck." Inside, she directed his attention towards the black-haired teen sitting there observing the entire interaction. She was like a person at an airport guiding the planes to a safe landing as she really wanted to direct the impertinent manager to the actual problem. Not like he would believe her anyway. Instead, she took this as her moment to get away, no matter how unpleasant getting reprimanded was.

"Well, as you can see sir, I have to get back to-" The boy seemed to take this as his chance as well and took a black rectangular card out of his wallet once again, flashing it at the manager between two fingers. The scowl on the manager's face disappeared and a pleasant smile replaced the nasty look within seconds. Rina, having taken a step back, could only stare at the conniving male.

"I believe I have a solution for that," He spoke, placing the card against the table and watching the ill-tempered man follow the action with his eyes. "As I have requested Morikawa Rina's attention, I am more than willing to buy out your _lovely _employees' time if you allow her to sit and speak with me for a moment." There was no doubt in manager Watasellout's eyes, as he pulled out the chair and dragged the girl over to sit into it. She tried to get back up, but his hand firmly came down against her shoulder and held her in place.

Rina stared at the boy, then looked at Watanabe, "Anything else you may need, please do not hesitate to ask." He bowed deeper than Rina had ever seen and disappeared from whence he came.

Rina would agree that if this was an actual date, with company she enjoyed, it would be nice. Wonderful lighting, soft music, and pleasant aromas from the food wafting from the kitchen. Regrettably, this wasn't one of those situations, and the boy in front of him seemed to be getting a kick out of it. "So," she started, "I'm just throwing a wild guess out here, you're the host from the party?"

"One of them, yes. Now, with the pleasantries aside, there is one rather annoying host that is particularly regretful at your treatment during the gathering. Unlike my guard, I am not taking no for an answer and would rather end this game early. It was amusing at first, now I'm rather tired of it." He slid the piece of paper across the table, placing a pen on top of it. Rina looked down at the small print, reading over the first and last paragraphs of the agreement and biting her lip in thought.

He was confident that this would be the end of this little headache, but she slid the contract back defiantly. "You really are trying to buy my silence. That's pretty grimey," she confessed, borrowing Tadashi's words for a moment. He frowned, looking at the girl as if she had sprouted two heads throughout this entire one-side conversation it seemed.

"Yes, well, monetary value is the way of the world. It _is_ how you commoners make a living, correct? From paycheck to paycheck, I've heard—" She couldn't believe what she was hearing, or she didn't want to believe what she was hearing. _Commoners? What was this, the Edo Period?_ This was the most self-righteous view of the world that she had ever heard, and she wasn't even sure if he knew what he was saying was wrong.

Standing up from her seat, she took the glass of water sitting before him into her hands and splashed its contents across his face. His eyes didn't look so sharp and shrewd anymore, especially when the palm of her hand clapped against his face. **Or**, at least that was how she felt on the inside and could never, would never do something like that to another person. However, imagining it wasn't too bad and at least her imagery self got to feel some kind of gratitude. Instead, she stared at him, unsure of how to respond to his words, although, it seemed like she didn't have to as he continued for both of them.

He leaned back in his chair after pushing the paper and his card towards her once more. _Checkmate_, he thought to himself, that same cold smile finding its way back onto his features. "That was all the time I required, now please, put however much you believe your time is worth on my bill." His word was final as he took a tablet out of his bag and begin typing, ignoring Rina's presence.

With a shaking hand, Rina snatched the card and agreement from the table before getting up and taking long strides away. Holding her breath, she tried to keep in the angry tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. _No worries, I'm going to have the last laugh, Snake-eyes._

* * *

The teen locked the screen of his iPad and placed it back into its protective case once the bill for his meal came back around. "You see, this is how you handle a simple problem like Morikawa Rina," he sat back into his chair, eyeing his bodyguard. Kensuke shrugged his shoulders, just pleased he could actually get his first restful sleep of the week. The man grabbed his employer's items, packing up the boy's papers before slinging the bag over his shoulder.

He wasn't surprised to see that there was a different waitress delivering the bill with Morikawa Rina nowhere to be had explained to her that if she didn't accept the terms when he asked, then other measures would have to be taken. It was such a shame since the girl seemed rather nice. He had hoped for her case she had been wise and performed the tasks his employer told her to do since the teen was rather confident that the compensation had been handled. The waitress handed the teen the bill with a highly artfully crafted smile. One intended to garner his attention, but he ignored it, more interested in the two pieces of paper and card she held in her hands.

Taking the bill and agreement from her, he noticed that the agreement form had been signed. No fraud as he could read her signature clearly. The waitress stood there for a moment, waiting for him to give her his undivided attention, and when he looked up, she thought she had gotten lucky. He definitely seemed like her type. "You're still standing here, why?" His dry tone made her frown and quickly leave with a scowl on her face.

The teen rolled his eyes, glancing over the copy of the bill. A disbelieving snort slipped past and he couldn't contain the amused lilt of a smile that cracked his stony demeanor. He was intrigued at this Morikawa Rina as she had taken out exactly how much his bill was, including the time for her work hours. On the amount was a small scribbled note, and he could only find himself to be somewhat annoyed.

_**Mr. Ootori, owner of the black card and employer of the awkward bodyguard, sir.**_

_**My wage is $12.28 per hour. I guess the joke is on you because I only had two hours of my time left tonight. So, I'll only be taking $24.56. I also signed the agreement, so now you really have to leave me alone. Enjoy the rest of your night, I guess, and I hope we don't run into each other again! Because, yikes! Your company was painful.**__**(◦'**_ں_**ˉ◦)**_

Kensuke glanced at the note, chuckling, "I guess now you see why it took me a week, huh?"

"Be quiet, Kensuke." Perhaps she had checkmated him, too.


	4. Imitation IV

**Authors Note** | Hello! I'm back again with another chapter. The beginning is a slow-burn, but soon things will start to pick up! Host Club has officially been introduced in this chapter, so please look forward to more host & rina interactions in the future. Also, turn up, it's my birthday today and I was determined to get this chapter finished. If you're feeling generous, leave me a review as a birthday gift. :) Enjoy!

* * *

**Imitation IV - the woes of an unsuspecting commoner**

* * *

**Leo's Weekly Horoscope**

_Things are starting to look up for you this week, Leo! The long month of March is now behind you and spring is bringing a beautiful Cherry Blossom viewing. Enjoy the temperate weather that April has to offer. Get out of your house, enjoy nature, and most of all, live your life to the fullest._

* * *

**Sugamo - Wednesday, April 19, 2018**

Daughter versus Father flash sale shopping was a sport that was worthy of being broadcast on television. Not only did the pantry get stocked with delicious snacks to last throughout the month, but Rina enjoyed almost always coming out on top. The teen wasn't a haggler, but she knew how to choose the stores with the best sale prices. The goal of their little monthly game was to save and return with the most spending money left. In the end, the winner got to keep _their_ change and _the losers_ change as pocket money. Rina wasn't very competitive, but she did know how to make a quick buck, especially against her father.

Morikawa Touma was just as large in size as Rina, but a truly soft-hearted man. His money was usually spent not on their own groceries, but on someone else's. He had a particular soft spot for the elderly, which was the main reason why Rina always manned the Sugamo shopping district herself. With the amount of older generation that often shopped in the district, Rina was sure her father would return with nothing each time. At least this way he would have a fair chance to win their little game; not that he was going to, but still. And it made Rina feel a little better about consistently dusting him in their little game.

As soon as she received the message about the flash sale, she was out of the door when the bell rang and excitedly on her way home. Two-hundred dollars shared between the two, Rina collected her own one-hundred and secured it in her wallet before catching the bus to the shopping district ten minutes from her home.

Now, with the goal of only spending at most sixty-dollars, she was roaming around the store with a cart filled with clearance and buy-one get free items. She had circled past multiple free sample booths a few times and sampled more than her share. If they would let her, she could get full on the delicious treats they had to offer. Even the ones that she had already tried before were readily consumed since samples were a hardcore weakness of hers. There was something about shopping and eating that made the trip that much more enjoyable. She could say it was her biggest strategy; if she was full while shopping, she would feel less inclined to buy everything she saw, especially the items she didn't need.

Checking samples off her mental list of things to do, she went onto the next thing. Wanting to spice up her time alone, which she was definitely not used to, Rina placed a foot against the bottom rack of the cart and pushed off with the other. Carting herself to the end of the aisle scooter fashion, she looked both ways before clearing the way to the next aisle. The girl was so used to being around others that when she had time to herself, she had no idea what to do.

Between working customer-oriented jobs and going to a school where communication was a large part of work ethic, Rina almost felt out of place being alone with no one to talk to. _Maybe this cart riding would be a bit more fun if I had invited Mei._ The thought _did_ cross her mind, but Meisa knew how to have too much fun and despite being a strong ride or die for the girl, the Morikawa family needed groceries. And clearly, Papa Bear Morikawa wasn't the most reliable when it came to these sorts of things. Therefore, it was up to Rina not to get kicked out of one of her favorite grocery stores.

A few of Meisa's unrelenting habits did rub off on her, so it was still like she was here encouraging all of Rina's terrible decisions. The two could both ride a cart, but the only difference was that Meisa could put all her weight, both feet straddled, against the bottom rack without tipping the ship. Rina, well, Rina hadn't tried for more than one reason. She frowned, looking around, behind and in front, to make sure that no one was around. It's not like she wanted to get in trouble, but she _was_ curious.

She had never _tried_ to ride the cart with both feet before so she wasn't positive that she _would_ tip the cart. This all sounded amazing in her head, and after listening to her emphasized explanation a few times, she thought why not. With too much time on her hands and a chaotic idea in mind, Rina pushed the cart ahead and with the hope that she wouldn't bust her head open, she saddled herself with both feet onto the carts rack.

Successfully, Rina soared down the aisle with grace and might is what she wished she could say, but as soon as she rested all of her weight against the cart it tipped up like a riled stallion and she felt herself falling back. With style, no grace, the girl almost fell flat on her face. _Fuck!_

The items in her cart collided against one another and in the last second, she clumsily caught herself, slamming the metal trap back onto the floor. She breathed out, holding her chest and glanced around once more. Thankfully, no one was around to see her little mishap. _My ankle does hurt a little, though._ Rotating her ankle, she winced, feeling where her legs had buckled beneath her as she tried not to fall to the floor with a cart overtop of her. Definitely landed on it wrong.

Lesson learned, Rina limped down the aisle in her wedges, stopping every few steps to roll her ankle and alleviate the discomfort. Grocery shopping had to be finished, so, for now, she would just suck it up and complain to her dad later to wrap it. She would leave out how it happened because how would I_ tried to ride a cart_ sound aloud? Dumb is what. Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through the list of things she needed to buy. She had the bulk of the essentials and the next thing on the list was toilet tissue.

Knowing the store's layout as if she worked there, she turned her cart in the opposite direction. The sound of metal clinking against metal had Rina reacting quickly and speaking a soft apology to the person she had just run into. Bowing her head and sparing a quick glance, she moved the cart around to give the other person space to weave around her.

"Senpai?" A soft reply came from the shopper standing diagonal to Rina. The tall teen looked up, expecting to see someone she went to school with, but no such luck. Standing before her was a face that didn't automatically strike her as familiar and Rina looked around to make sure that she was the one the boy had been referring to. There were only a few elderly individuals flocking to the aisle, so Rina seemed to be the only senpai available. The boy sighed, shaking his head before smiling softly.

"Again, Rina-senpai? I didn't think you were this bad at remembering faces." Rina looked the boy up and down, trying to remember who he was because apparently he knew who Rina was. The uniform wasn't a common one. It was blue with hints of purple hidden in the hues. Not too flashy, but recognizable if one knew the school. It looked a bit awkward on the boy's straight A-line body, but he seemed to be comfortable enough. Still, nothing stood out to her by just his fit alone, so she moved on to his face. A mellow, unbothered expression against his face. His face was very round and his features soft, but still she didn't know who.

Those large, inquiring eyes and smooth tone of voice were familiar but the entire combination was throwing her off. "Who?" Rina asked abruptly, lip curved up in confusion and brows furrowed.

Rina was sure this had nothing to do with her inability to remember faces, she was almost certain she had no idea who the boy in front of her was. Now, that left her mind room to wander and start jumping to conclusions. Was this some sort of new scam that hadn't made it to the news yet? _Young boys prey on young girls acting as if they are a trusted classmate. _Or, _young boys act as if they are confessing their feelings to an unassuming young girl to abduct them._ So many things were happening lately that either of those thoughts could have been plausible. An image of the headlines formed in her mind and she wasn't positive if she should be honored or not that she was one of the first to experience such a sketchy scam.

Maybe that was why there were so many black suits in the store today. She had enough of the black suits; they were now her least favorite and when she got married one day, her significant other would have to choose a different color out of the dark spectrum. After that entire week that one bodyguard followed her around, she would be fine if she never saw another suit in her lifetime. Not exactly realistic, but anything was possible if she tried hard enough.

"This buffering time isn't helping any, huh? I'm H-"

"I think you have the wrong person, sorry," Rina cut the boy off, turning her cart and hauling ass into the direction that she came from. The boy looked after her with a frown pinching his brows, calling after her but Rina didn't stop or look back.

"Senpai! It's Haruhi," the boy groaned in exasperation causing a halt in Rina's steps as she finally turned to look back.

"False, last time I checked Haruhi was a girl." Rina stayed where she was, cautiously looking at the boy claiming to be Haruhi, the same girl she had met in this very store. The boy sighed, shoulders flopping as he looked down at himself.

"I don't think I look that much different…" The so-called Haruhi trailed off after seeing the look Rina gave. "Okay, maybe I do look a little different, but I'm still your same shopping partner." Rina hummed, leaning against the cart and pushing it closer to the girl. The more she talked, the more Rina realized it was truly Haruhi. The large doe-like eyes and soft features that were all uniquely Haruhi should have tipped her off, but could she really be blamed? The last time she saw her, the girl was wearing a large, flowing skirt and shirt too straight for her A-line figure and her hair was way longer than it was now. Not to mention, she wasn't wearing a uniform that was clearly meant for a male. So, of course, she was a little thrown off.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I think I need to test you," Haruhi laughed nervously but didn't interrupt. "The last time I saw you, which was about three weeks ago, I came to the store wearing something new. What were they and how did I get them?"

Without hesitation, Haruhi smiled, mimicking Rina's actions by leaning against her own cart. "Easy. Luis Vuitton red bottom boots that you bought right off the shelf. You used the money that you saved during the summer," the girl paused, frowning as she thought of the price. "I still think it was a waste of money. They're just shoes, but as long as it made you happy, I guess."

"Oh, Haruhi, it is you!" Rina wailed dramatically, causing the girl in front of her to shush her and apologize to the few shoppers that were standing around. "I thought you were apart of some scam to prey on cute, innocent girls like me." She struck a pose, giving her best doe-eyed look and pout as she feigned innocence.

"I don't even think I want to know what goes on in your head most times."

"Yeah, but I want to know what's going on in yours. Why the sudden change, something going on you want me to handle?" Rina slammed her fist into her waiting palm, to which Haruhi chuckled, shaking her head. Not that the tall girl could actually fight someone, but it was the thought that mattered, right? If anything, she could step on them if they were shorter.

"Well, actually, Senpai..." Haruhi trailed a moment, sighing as if it were a painful memory, "It's kind of a long story..."

* * *

Walking side by side with groceries in each of their hands, Rina stared at Haruhi as she tried to digest all the information she had obtained. School had only just started less than two weeks ago, but the girl had already gone through an ordeal and a half. "So, let me get this straight. You got gum stuck in your hair-"

"Unwillingly, but yes."

"You decided to cut it out by cutting your hair off. Which is a terrible idea, you never, _never_ cut your own hair," Haruhi waved Rina's comment off, shifting the bags in her hands as they continued to the bus stop. "Members of a host club..." the inflection in her voice questioned and Haruhi nodded in confirmation. "...mistook you for a guy, you broke a vase that cost $76,184, and now you have to pay that back by being...a host?" Rina wasn't judging, not at all, but for someone as serious about her studies as Haruhi, this all seemed a bit farfetched.

Haruhi peered unblinkingly at Rina and the girl winced, sucking in air through her teeth. "You're in deep, but I guess that does explain the change of appearance," she gestured to the girl wearing the Ouran Academy male uniform. "Not that you don't look cute or whatever. It really does fit you."

"Thanks, Senpai," she laughed, "but it's just clothing. If others find it, they just find out," she shrugged. "It was their fault for assuming, and somehow it worked out in their favor. Either way, I still have to deal with this vase situation somehow, boy or not."

Humming in agreement, Rina watched another car drive past them. It was a nice car. Almost a little too nice to be driving through an area like this, but she shrugged it off. The two girls were almost to the bus stop and the more steps she took, the heavier the bags were beginning to get. "Why was the vase out in the first place? I know from experience that valuable art is not just out on display unprotected."

"I thought that was the whole point of art, to be put on display?"

"_Unprotected_, Haruhi, _unprotected_. All I'm saying is it all seemed like a setup, a-" Her mind was busy at work again, but Haruhi shut her thoughts down instantly.

"It wasn't a trap, Rina-Senpai." She shook her head, stopping a few steps away from the bus stop. Rina clicked her tongue, putting her groceries down on the ground and cracking her knuckles.

"Pfft, you're no fun," She crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe it wasn't, but I know when some rich people get interested in something, they get wild. Apparently, they all have an interest in the woes of a commoner." She almost sounded spiteful, thinking of the snake-eyed bastard that made her last week of summer truly one to remember. Not that she was grateful for that, but she knew this was one thing she would be telling her children _and_ grandchildren in the future. Distant, _distant_ future.

As the two girls were talking, a black Range Rover rolled up beside them. A little odd for this area, but initially, Rina paid no mind to it, though she did cut her eyes at it a few times as she listened to Haruhi. The car had completely stopped, and Rina didn't even hide her stare as the tinted window rolled down on the passenger's side.

"Excuse me?" The man called at the two from the car. Though his voice was good-natured and he wore a smile, Rina could tell something was up. "Ah, could I bother you two for a moment?"

At that point, Haruhi's sentence had trailed to a stop. She looked from Rina to the man and back again, opening her mouth to reply, but Rina put her hand out in front of the girl, shaking her head. "_Sorry, no Japanese." _She shook her head, smiling somewhat apologetically, subtly gesturing to Haruhi to start walking again.

"Oh, well that's unlucky." The man frowned, "Well, unlucky for you." He snapped his fingers, and unbeknownst to the girls, two men had snuck up behind them, gripping their shoulders. "We've acquired the targets, bringing them back as we speak."

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Haruhi tried to yank her arm away from one of them, "Who are you people?"

"Don't worry about us. We're just here to do the transporting." The one who'd grabbed Haruhi spoke. Effortlessly, he lifted her from under the arms and carried her towards the car. Rina's captor didn't have it as easy, though, and only pulled her roughly towards the car. She may have been taller, but he was a lot stronger. The yank of her arm made her drop a few bags on the way, which made a rather nasty look appear on her face.

"Get my groceries or you'll be sorry." Somewhere in her mind, Rina could and couldn't believe that she had decided that now was the one time she would like to speak up. She didn't play around when it came to groceries. At first, the man ignored her, shoving her into the open car right after Haruhi. As he tried to close the door on her, she kicked her foot out, slamming it against the man in protest. "I'm not here to make jokes, you better go get my groceries!"

"Oh, so now you can spea-Ow!" The man jumped back, clutching at his knee, "You brat!"

"Groceries, idiot." Rina snapped at him. The man growled roughly and gestured for his partner to pick up Rina's dropped groceries.

"Can't we just leave this one behind?" He turns his gaze to the leader riding in the passenger's seat, "Or dispose of her?"

"I'll dispose of _you_ if you don't shut up." The leader snapped as the other man brought the groceries around to toss into the trunk. "Get back in your vehicle and follow us." With that, the first man begrudgingly slammed the door closed before Rina could do any more damage to him and walked with a jank limp towards his own car.

"You're fine with getting kidnapped as long as your groceries are brought along?" Haruhi reiterated, looking to her senpai. "...I guess this is the life of a commoner, huh?"

* * *

**Bunkyo, Ouran Academy -** **Wednesday, April 19, 2018**

As Rina had time to calm her anger during the car ride, the severity of the situation hit her. They were really kidnapped, right in the open, during the day...well, evening, but still, there was plenty of sunlight left. It wasn't like in the movies where they were bound or blindfolded, but Rina couldn't calm her rapidly beating heart. During the trip, Rina sent shifty messages to her father about her whereabouts. Which was odd because weren't kidnappers supposed to take phones so they wouldn't have any source of communication?

"You guys don't seem like very good kidnappers," Haruhi commented Rina's thoughts as the older girl continued typing away her doom on her phone. Choppy messages had been sent to her father back to back, and still, there was no sign of panic, only badly typed replies.

**To: Definition of Dork**

_Father, hello. I require assistance. _

**Inbox:**

_Oho no 2day child o me. I am will be winning! :)_

**To: Definition of Dork**

_I'm being serious, father. When do I call you father? Never. So this is a serious matter. Please respond._

**Inbox:**

_LOL shore. I knw u are trippin me. U be fine. Ok? C u l8r_

**To: Definition of Dork**

_I'm in a serious predicament._

**To: Definition of Dork**

_I've been kidnapped. I'm currently en route to a kidnapping child selling ring and you're doing nothing! Nothing about it! I might not make it home!_

**Inbox:**

_Kidnap?_

**Inbox:**

_Kindpa... by SALES lol ;) i'mma win this time c u l8r for din and wins_

**Inbox:**

_i'm a get new bowtie wit my savins ;D_

Rina put her phone down, knowing her father was no longer of help. It was clear she had to strive to be less dramatic when speaking to him...if she ever would speak to him again. The car came to a stop in front of a large building and Haruhi visibly relaxed. The expression on her face wasn't as pinched anymore, but it was stretched with frustration. Rina watched her expectantly, unfamiliar with the place they had pulled up to. "Of course. I don't know why I didn't expect this. I should have known from what happened earlier." Haruhi sighed, unbuckling her seat belt and opening the car door.

Rina reached out, grabbing the girl's arm holding her back. "Um, excuse you, why are you willingly getting out of the car? Don't resign to death so quickly."

"What happens will happen," Haruhi spoke dryly, a wry grin breaking out across her thin lips at the look on Rina's face. "I'm kidding, Senpai. Trust me, we're more valuable to these people alive, surprisingly."

Rina didn't like the sound of that, but decided that this time, she would put trust into Haruhi. After all, these people couldn't be that bad, they did stop for her groceries. The door was opened wider and Haruhi climbed out, Rina's hand slipping away from the girl's arm. The driver gave Rina a nasty look, to which she returned by kicking out a long leg dramatically. The man flinched back, placing his hands over his private area this time, afraid that she would be bold enough to kick him where the sun didn't shine. Instead, she scooted her way to the other side of the car and climbed out, placing weight on her messed up ankle and wincing.

Of course, when she hurt herself she would be taken hostage. There was no way that she was going to be able to run away now; not when she had no idea where she was and had a busted ankle. The building looked more like some kind of castle than anything else, though Rina couldn't recall there being any type of castle or similar architecture in the area-then again, Rina wasn't exactly sure what area she was in.

"What exactly is this place?" Rina questions quietly, "And will I get my groceries back?"

Despite herself, Haruhi chuckled, "It's...well, I guess you'll see." Rina choked out a noise at Haruhi's mysterious reply, narrowing her eyes in the girl's direction. That wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. Not being a fan of surprises, Rina wondered what kind of place this was. Elegant architecture, upscale decor. Was this really a high-end trafficking ring like she thought? It couldn't have been. Not with the way Haruhi reacted.

"Groceries, Haruhi." Rina felt like a broken record at this point, but if she returned home empty-handed, she was going to have a problem with these black-suited idiots.

"I'm sure they'll have them at your home before you know it." Haruhi was completely unconcerned and Rina choked again. They would know where she lived? She didn't like the sound of that, but if it meant getting her groceries hand-delivered, then she supposed it would have to be a risk she would take. Not that she had a choice in the matter, apparently. The men that manhandled both of them walked behind them at a distance, leaving no room for escape.

Haruhi led the pack, walking through the halls with practiced ease. There were too many twists and turns for Rina to remember where they started and where it would end, but what she did notice was the beautiful artwork on the walls. Her attention focused on the passing, pink walls and grand pillars, she didn't realize that Haruhi stopped and Rina bumped against her.

The door they stopped in front of was large and somewhat menacing to Rina who was used to being the large, menacing-looking one. The plaque on the wall next to the door denoted that this was Music Room Number 3, which left Rina to wonder how many music rooms the place had. "Is there a room dedicated to each instrument?" She joked, nudging Haruhi.

The bland, almost innocent look Haruhi gave her made Rina's smile lessen. "There quite possibly might be. You can't be too sure if something's too absurd for this crowd." Not bothering to knock, Haruhi moved to push the door open, though something in her made her stop mid-reach. Instead, the girl side-stepped as the doors were flung open and Rina was, for the second (or third if you counted her cart shenanigans) time that day, assaulted.

"My little girl! Daddy was so worried! What took you so long to arrive," the man grasping her tightly in a hug wailed, refusing to let go. The sound of disgust that left Rina sounded horrendous as she tried to push whoever was holding onto her away.

"Haruhi, you've gotten bigger. Have you grown up?" Tamaki took a moment to take in the girl's appearance. "Wait..."

"_My dad doesn't even call me that, so you don't have the right to." Rina snarled, pushing the boy away. "Do any of you know the meaning of personal space, I swear, none of you seem to know what manners are either. And another thing, I-"_

"...'ll have to excuse him." Haruhi snatches the boy off of Rina. Rina blinks looking from Haruhi to the boy loose in her grasp. "I didn't think to warn you because I assumed he had eyes, but clearly that was not true."

"You're hurting me!" Tamaki cried out, "Haruhi!" Haruhi sighed, letting the boy go, "I didn't think you'd bring a friend along, a girl no less." He bounced back immediately, taking Rina's hand into his and bringing it up to his lips. The girl laughed nervously, pulling her hand lower each time he tried connecting lip and hand.

"Oh, how I'm so pleased our little girl has such a beautiful princess at her side. Have you been taking daddy's concerns into consideration?" The blonde-haired teen's eyes glazed over at the thought, and his smile was almost giddy. Rina just wanted to know what kind of hell she just walked into.

"I don't know if you're actually complimenting me or what, but I don't appreciate your tone." Haruhi responded, tone even. "What is all this?" She gestured to the two men standing behind them. "If you wanted me to return, you could have, I don't know, asked me instead of what just happened to us."

"I believe we know you well enough by now to know you would not have willingly returned, Haruhi," Kyoya stated, joining the small group at the door. Taking in the two newcomers, Kyoya waved off the guards, relieving them of their duties.

"And what's the fun in that," Hikaru drawled, draping his arms over Haruhi's shoulders, though his gaze rested on Rina.

"Exactly. It's more humorous to see you all riled up...even though your reaction is a bit lackluster right now." Kaoru took ahold of Haruhi's hands, and like his brother, turned his gaze towards Rina.

"We expected more." Hikaru's tone became playfully scolding as he tapped her nose.

"Although, your friend, her reaction was classic. Did you see her face?" Kaoru snickered, covering his mouth with a hand. "And that noise?"

"I suppose all commoners are fun to mess with." Hikaru nodded along with his brother, "It must be the lower-class-ness of it all."

"Haru-chan! You're back! We missed you. Right, Takeshi?" Another blonde appeared seemingly out of nowhere riding on the shoulders of a tall male. He was a lot taller than Rina and she couldn't help but stare, because that didn't happen often. Usually, she was always the tallest in the room, but now she was beaten. Second tallest and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. The behemoth of a man returned her look intensely and she realized she had been staring...like, _really_ staring and she sucked in a quick breath and looked away. _That seemed all too familiar._ There was no time for getting distracted, she needed to know how the hell she got pulled into this mess.

She was sure it had everything to do with Haruhi, but she just couldn't find it in herself to be angry at the girl. Haruhi was just as much as an unwilling party as she was, if not more and it wasn't exactly her fault. Rina was just in the wrong place and the wrong time it seemed. Her horoscope didn't warn her about any changes in her fortune either.

Rina noticed that Haruhi's uniform matched the other males in the room and that's when it all clicked. This had to be _the_ Ouran Academy that the girl had just finished telling her about with _the_ infamous host club. Their extreme actions were starting to add up to the stories Haruhi told her. A little dazed, and very confused, Rina was pulled inside of the room by Haruhi who went along with the odd motions.

"See, I told you rich people were wild," Rina muttered under her breath. She would've thought Haruhi hadn't heard her if not for the slight smile on the girl's face as they approached one of the tables.

Haruhi takes a seat, though Rina doesn't follow her. Standing off to the side she watched the group interact, and luckily nobody commented on it, instead focusing all attention on Haruhi. "What was so important that this couldn't have waited until tomorrow, Senpai?" Haruhi inquired, looking up at Tamaki who was sitting at the end of the table. He claps his hands and the two identical teens wheeled out a large chart and stand, saluting before returning to their seats.

"We are in a state of emergency, Haruhi. There is no time to dilly-dally when the physical examinations are only a day away. Mommy, if you will." As he spoke, Tamaki slammed his hands against the table, looking as if he was in a space movie where the situation had taken a turn for the worst.

However, that wasn't what struck Rina as odd, although at this point whatever they did shouldn't have been odd. He called for a...mommy? Was that rich speak for, well, something? Rina wasn't exactly sure she wanted to stick around and find out what that "something" was.

The club members turned their attention to the one wearing glasses, and so did Rina, trying to gauge his reaction. He returned her look, steel-grey eyes unwavering before he cleared his throat.

"Yes, very well, _Daddy_," he looked towards Haruhi. "We are issuing _Defcon 5: Keep Haruhi's Gender a Secret_. Creative, yes?" Rina was sure his tone was rather sarcastic, but she didn't question it. Something about his entire demeanor seemed familiar, but she wasn't exactly sure what.

While the others chorused agreements, with Haruhi being the sole voice of reason, Rina took a look around the room. All eyes were on the supposed "mother figure", and as much as Rina felt for Haruhi, she knew she couldn't stay any longer. So Rina once again looked around the room with a purpose.

There was only one exit-the door they all had come through and currently, not a soul was stationed by it. A blessing in disguise or not, Rina knew that she only had one chance to escape undetected, or mostly undetected, as the glasses-guy-slash-mom occasionally swept his gaze over to her. Rina didn't let it bother her, taking small, purposeful steps backward. The tiniest click of her shoes accompanying each step.

It sounded louder in her ears than it could have possibly been, especially with all of the yelling and loud talking coming from the group of rich idiots gathered around Haruhi. Slowly, Rina tettered from foot to foot as she made it closer and closer to the door, until finally, her hand was able to grasp the handle.

She looked towards the group, still largely unaware of her disappearance, though that glasses guy only rose an eyebrow in her direction, as if daring her to leave.

So, Rina did what any sensible person in her situation would do. He made a dare, a _bet_ with her and she was going to take it. She pulled the door handle, swinging the door open just enough for her to squeeze through and let it close behind her with a soft click, followed by more the urgent clicking of her shoes as she nearly sprinted down the hall, trying her best to remember the way they had come in.

* * *

The talking in the room stopped for a moment as they all looked in the direction of the door. Kaoru's gaze fell to where the new girl had been standing and he raised a brow, leaning an elbow against his brother's shoulder.

"Hm, it seems like we scared our new commoner away. Such a pity," Hikaru stated, a small frown tugging against his lips. Haruhi sighed, wondering if she should follow Rina out. She was positive that she was going to have a hard time finding her way back to the exit, or any exit at all. However, Haruhi decided against it believing that it would cause more harm than good.

"Aw," Honey pouted, laying his head against the table. "She didn't even get a chance to try any of the cake." Sticking his fork into the last bit, he opened his mouth wide and shoved the strawberry shortcake into his mouth. "Wasn't she the one from the party, Takashi?" Honey kicked his feet in his seat, looking up at his cousin. Mori nodded in agreement, face stoic as usual.

"You guys should have left her out of this." Haruhi cast her gaze around the table, "The whole kidnapping thing was really unnecessary."

"Funny you would mention that. Morikawa Rina has already been involved." Kyoya informed her, before confirming Honey's question. "She_ was_ indeed the one from the party."

"And the plot becomes more interesting," Kaoru commented grinning. Haruhi sighed, knowing that there was no use wasting her breath. Unfortunately, Rina was in just as deep as she was now, and Haruhi had no idea what party they were even referring to. "This brings us to another problem, however."

"It is safe to assume she's aware of Haruhi's gender _and_ now she knows our Defcon 5 plans." Hikaru drawled, leaning his chin against the palm of his hand in boredom. Tamaki gasped, quickly standing from his seat in shock.

"She wouldn't say anything, would she?" He asked, looking among all of the members.

"Of course not, she already knew, Senpai." Haruhi's words were ignored as the others continued to talk amongst themselves.

"I dunno. Kyoya-Senpai did say she was an issue. She might want revenge or something…" Kaoru shrugged, grinning at the look Haruhi was giving him. The frown on her face warned him to stop, but obviously he wasn't.

"Yeah, and our Precious King did nothing but confirm it. Highly irresponsible if you ask me," Hikaru tossed at the blonde, who grabbed his chest and sank back down into his chair. He was indeed the one to blame, and now Haruhi's secret could be revealed due to spite. From what Kyoya had reported to them, she was less than thrilled at their club's peace offering.

"How could I have let this happen?" Tamaki pulled at his hair, wildly swinging his head back, "We must make sure to bring this Rina-commoner in and deal with her! Operation: Bring in Rina and Deal with Her is on!"

"That's really unnecessary," Haruhi tried once more, but her protests were falling on deaf ears.

"Perhaps Ms. Morikawa Rina is rather the unlucky one," Kyoya smirked and tapped his glasses. It seemed as if this was only the beginning and Kyoya was looking forward to seeing who would win the next move. They each had a chess piece in their corner, after all.


End file.
